CracKing, Third Times the Charm
by SapphireShelle91
Summary: I've never been one who despairs over something. Obsessed over something, yeah sometimes. But despair over something? Yeah not so much. But that was basically what I was doing right now. Despairing over the fact that she'll never be mine. Book 3 Mike POV
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** 'sigh' Why do I have the strangest feeling that I'm going to lose readers because of this fic?  
>I'm doing something a little different with this fic that I haven't seen done any of the other Michael POV of Book 3, so... please don't hate me for it.<br>I said right when I started writing book 1 from his POV, that I was going to do things differently and out of the box... well this fic will defiantly be thinking out of the box for a certain character, I don't want to be boo'd for it. This fic is to be enjoyed (It is also fanfiction), so no bashing what so ever and if you don't like what I'm doing with this fic or rather with a character, let me know and I will try to make it up to you in another way.  
>Ok, with that all said and hopefully I haven't scared people off already, please enjoy this fic, I've written it for your and mine entertainment.<p>

**Disclaimer:** Obviously I am not Meg Cabot, if I was The Mediator series would be longer, Princess Diaries would be a tiny bit different in certain parts and yeah, I'm not Meg.

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><p><strong>CracKing: Third Times the Charm<strong>

**Prologue**

_If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours. If they don't, they never were._

I've never been one who despairs over something. Obsessed over something, yeah sometimes; Buffy for example. But despair over something? Yeah not so much.

But that was basically what I was doing right now. Despairing over the fact that it looked like I was never going to be with the girl I so desperately wanted to have in my arms.

Desperately, desperately want her to be mine.

And before you say anything, this is not just some silly schoolboy crush that'll just go away over time; I know that more than anything. I've had crushes before this, not many, but enough to know what they feel like when I don't get the girl and they never felt anything like this, and this was nothing like those times.

I love her, simple as that.

Actually it's not simple at all, well except being in love with her. That is surprisingly easy, trying to force myself to stop loving her, that's the hard part. Try as I might, I just can't. I can't stop loving her, even though I know that I'll never be with her.

She's a princess and I'm her best friend's dorky, computer nerd, three year older, older brother. Also she happens to have a boyfriend, who I have been fighting against the urge to wipe his face across the floor for the past week.

I heard the phone ring and heard Mom answer it. After a few moments, she called my name.

"Michael? It's for you." With a sigh of annoyance, I swung myself off my bed and out of my bedroom. Mom handed me the phone, grabbing her purse as she did so. Her and Dad were going out for the afternoon and evening. Lilly as well.

I gave them a brief wave goodbye before heading back to my room, pressing the phone to my ear and saying a cautious, though also rather robotic, "Hello?"

'Hi Michael. It's Judith Gershner,' I know who you are Judith; I recognised her voice the moment she said hi. "I was wondering if I could come over."

"Why?" I asked rather blankly.

'I thought we might work on the game for our booth. You know were the only ones who are actually putting any effort into it.' A bit harsh, but actually true. But the only reason I am putting so much effort into it was because it was something to keep my mind off the fact that I lost her.

"Ah, sure, yeah come over now if you want."

"Cool, see you soon."

A little too soon, really.

About fifteen minutes later she was at my front door.

"Hi." She said, maybe a little too brightly and her eyes seemed to be a little red.

"Hi." I said cautiously back, "are you ok?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine." She said with fake cheer but I didn't call her up on it. Why bother? Seriously. Instead I lead her to my room for us to start working on the program that we were going to show at the Winter Carnival.

We worked on it for maybe fifteen before she kissed me, right on the mouth.

It wasn't exactly terrible. She knew how to kiss; it was just the fact that she was the wrong girl. Which was why I pulled back.

"What are you doing? Why did you do that?" I asked staring at her in bewilderment.

She shrugged.

"Just because." She moved to kiss me again, but I forced my head back even further so that she ended up kissing my chin.

"Why?" I asked again.

"Because I want to and…"

"You have a boyfriend." I reminded her forcibly.

"Who's cheating on me." she counted coldly back.

"So you want to get back at him by kissing me?" I demanded, feeling furious at the thought that I was simply being used, that she was kissing me not because she liked me or anything, but simply to get back at her boyfriend.

"No. Well, in a way yes. But mostly I want to kiss you because I want to. I've wanted to for ages." This didn't make me feel any better.

"But you still want to get back at him right?"

"Like you don't have someone you secretly want to get back at too." She replied and I felt like she had stabbed me.

I scowled at her furiously and pushed her away.

"I'm not doing this. You have a boyfriend…"

"Who's cheating on me." she reminded me, "and you have no one." Yeah, thanks for rubbing some more salt into the wound. No, really, thanks so much, I thought angrily back at her.

She moved forward again and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I really do like you, Michael." She said as she lightly pressed her lips against mine.

"Still doesn't change the fact that you're with someone else." But despite myself, despite all the reason and morals running around my head, my body was failing me completely and I was letting myself kiss her lightly back.

"And that you like someone else." She said it lightly but I could hear the hurt in her voice.

I opened my mouth to say something, to protest or fight more against what she wanted and what my body was happily agreeing to, but was shut up from saying anything by her tongue invading my mouth.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I caved pretty quickly after that, to her wishes. I should have fought more, argued that this was wrong, but at that moment I truly hadn't cared, I just caved to what she wanted.

Which was a lot more than I had originally thought. Kissing is one thing, sex is a completely different kettle of fish and yet somehow we ended up doing that too.

To tell the truth, it wasn't that great.

I didn't enjoy the experience at all. Ok, scratch that, my body did, but my head and heart, they weren't really in it. Especially my heart, which just shut down during the act.

I tried, I tried to forget, to just live in the moment of it, but I couldn't, it felt wrong somehow even though I was venting out all my frustration and loneliness, but then maybe that was why it felt wrong because the only things that were being felt during it, were all negative. It had nothing to do with love or anything like that. It was just hormones running awry and the desire to get back at the people who had hurt us, even though they were likely never to know about this.

I certainly wasn't going to bring this up with Mia, not that there would ever be a reason for it come up.

"Thanks." She said afterwards, when we were done.

"Uh huh." I said without any real feeling behind it.

I was a robot again. But even so, even in my robotic state, when she kissed me, I kissed her back, all the while thinking that this should have been Mia.

And hating the fact that it wasn't.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Just so you know, this chapter was as fun for me to write as it probably was for all of you to read, which is... it wasn't fun at all.  
>Why, you might ask, did I put this right at the beginning of the fic? My answer is, because I wanted to get it over with as quickly as humanly possible.<br>I honestly did not enjoy writing this. Actually I honestly haven't enjoyed writing most of the chapters of this fic, but don't worry, it will be written.  
>Anyway, thanks for reading and you know comments are much loved and appreciated.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Lil asked with a groan as she looked up from the lay out of her storyboards for the next episode of _Lilly __Tells __It __Like __It __Is_, that were spread out all over the granite countertop.

"Keep what up?" I asked as I grabbed a bowl and poured some cereal into it.

"Ignoring Mia. It's getting really annoying." She grumbled.

"I'm not." I protested even though I knew that in fact, over the last month, I kinda had been.

"Yes, you are. You are totally ignoring her. Stop it." She ordered me. I poured some milk over my cereal.

"Why should I have to? Just because you tell me to?"

"Because your hurting her feelings, you asshole!" I felt a sharp pang in my chest but fought it back, ignoring it.

"Your point? I don't really care, Lil." I said coldly and Lil blinked at me for a moment in disbelief.

"You know what, I'm glad she's with Kenny because then she can't be with an asshole like you." Lil snarled at me as she gathered up her storyboards and stormed out of the kitchen, while I glared down into my cereal bowl, suddenly not hungry anymore.

_Because your hurting her feelings, you asshole!_

Wonderful, just what I wanted.

Fuck…

I threw the rest of my cereal into Pavlov's bowl, before putting my own bowl into the dishwasher.

Even though it was still rather early the house was close to empty with only Lil and myself being home and we weren't exactly on talking terms at the moment. Hadn't been all month. And it's been a long, dreadful month.

I ran a hand over my face as I tried to concentrate on the computer game that the Computer Club was meant to be creating for Winter Carnivals

It was like no time had past at all when the front door bell rang and Lil was screeching that it was for me. Which I already knew, I had just been slow getting the door.

As much as I've semi-enjoyed having someone else sharing my gloom of not being with the one I want to be with, I'm still not overly eager to see her and spend time with her, even though I know she's had a pretty rough month herself.

As soon as she came into my room and the door was closed behind her, she was kissing me.

I kissed her back but not with any real enthusiasm, but she seemed happy enough with my responding kisses.

We managed to do a couple of hours work for the game before there was a loud series of pounding on my door.

"What Lil?" I called and Lil opened the door, looking at me with a dark look which informed I was still in her bad books and not likely to be out of them any time soon.

"I'm off." She said sounding a little stiff.

I frowned.

"Off where?" I asked trying to remember when it was mention that she was going out this afternoon.

"To the ice-skating rink, moron."

"Ok, have fun." I said with a vague wave as I turned back to my computer. I was expecting Lil to just leave but she didn't…

"I didn't know you ice-skated, Lilly." Judith said and I felt like groaning. Lil made no real secret of not liking any of my friends… wait, when did I start thinking of Judith as a friend? Was it before or after I slept with her… granted that was just once and it hasn't happened again and surprisingly we've spent more time talking than anything else this past month. She's actually, oddly enough, not a bad person to hang out with, when she isn't death glaring me about something or trying to hit on me, two things she has more or less stopped doing since, well, we slept together.

"I don't." Lil replied a little snidely, "We're only going really because Mia wants to. She hasn't been in ages. She's the only one who can actually skate." I was a little surprised that Lil was admitting that, and complimenting Mia as well… wait, Mia.

"I can't skate to save my life." Judith admitted a sheepish smile, "But I love it anyway."

"Do you want to go?" I asked without thinking. Both girls looked at me in surprise, though Lil was more suspicious than anything else. I saw Judith hesitating and I quickly added, "We could use a break."

"True." Judith beamed. Over her head I saw Lil rolling her eyes before disappearing down the hall, a moment later we both heard the front door slam.

"What's wrong with your sister?" Judith asked cautiously as we saved the game on to the Computer Club Thumb drive.

"No, the real question is what isn't wrong with her? And what you discover might scare you." I muttered as I shut down my computer and stretched.

Judith laughed before grabbing my hand and purposefully dragged me out the apartment, all the while, I was thinking how the bloody hell had I allowed myself to fall into this situation.

We reached the ice rink about fifteen minutes after Lil had arrived.

Not that we had any trouble finding them, not with Lars and Wahim (Tina's bodyguard) standing near them talking about rubber bullets or grenades or something along those lines that is equally disturbing.

The close we got to the more nervous I got.

I had been as Lil had pointed out this morning ignoring Mia and purposefully avoiding her as much as possible. Which is actually near impossible, and not because I see her all the time, no it's because I _want_ to see her all the time.

I try to distance myself from her and yet, somehow, I continually find myself in her presences.

Beside me, Judith was chattering excitedly away about how well she was sure our computer game would go down at the Winter Carnival but even though I was nodding in time with when she took a breath, I wasn't really paying attention to her, rather all my attention was on Mia who was watching us with startled eyes, all the while whispering to my sister.

I desperately wanted to know what was being said, especially when Lil gave her an exasperated look when Mia muttered something that must have sounded complete outlandish and obviously had something to do with me because of the evil look Lil sent in my direction before she snapped something to Boris's, her long time suffering (ok, two months) boyfriend.

Without any thought at all, I purposefully walked over to where they were sitting, lacing up their skates.

Mia went bright red as we came to stand by them, stammering.

"Oh, hi, you guys." She squeaked. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lil rolling her eyes, but I ignored her as Mia said my name. "Michael, I didn't know you knew how to ice-skate."

I tried to be calm, casual as I shrugged. "I used to be on a hockey team." For like, three minutes and those three minutes don't exactly count because…

"Yeah, Pee Wee Hockey." Lil snorted charmingly, "That was before he decided that team sports were waste of time," Lil explained to Mia as if I wasn't standing right there, "because the success of the team was dictated by the performance of all the players as a whole, as opposed to sports determined by individual performance such as tennis and golf."

"Lilly," I said pinching the bridge of my nose as I noted the blank expressions of the fourteen year olds standing around us, "don't you ever shut up?

Lil simply stuck her tongue out at me, while Judith who had been previously introducing herself to the rest of the group, exclaimed," I love ice-skating! Although, I'm not very good at it." she laughed a little sheepishly.

I was amused to see Mia scowling at her, before stalking off for the rink without saying a word to anyone.

She isn't actually a bad skater. Actually she's pretty good; she reminded me of Sarah Michelle Gellar, that time when she ice-skated in Buffy and then Angel turned up and… yeah, keep your thoughts away from romance Moscovitz.

Anyway, Judith on the other hand, really was an appalling ice-skater. She honestly can not skate to save her life and yet she still loves it.

Taking pity on her, I took hold of her hands and skating backwards, I pulled her around the rink.

"This is embarrassing." She muttered, her face bright red.

I shrugged.

"It doesn't bother me."

"I know, but still, it is still a little embarrassing. You know, what with the fact that I'm ice-skating with a bunch of fourteen year olds (and two full grown body guards) and they all can skate better than I can." She laughed. I felt myself grin despite myself.

"Duh, Kenny, I know how to skate." I heard Mia grumble somewhere nearby.

I glanced over in her direction and saw her looking quite flustered and annoyed as Kenny tried to convince her to let him tow her around like he saw me doing with Judith.

"Poor kid." Judith said looking over to where I was.

"Which one?" I asked back, a little dryly and she laughed.

"Exactly. Though I was referring to Kenny. He's trying so hard." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Ok, I admit, he possibly might be trying a little too hard but still, she should give him a break and just let him tow her around for a bit." I fought back the desire of pulling a face at what she had said.

After about another twenty minutes of Kenny asking her (or in my mind, bugging her), Mia finally caved to letting him pull her around the ring.

Only problem was that Kenny isn't a very good skate when he was going forward, when he tried going backwards, well disaster happen pretty quickly.

"Shit." I said because I saw what was happening before anyone else did, even Kenny, though I know from the widening of Mia's eyes that she knew that them falling down was an inevitable thing.

Kenny went down first and Mia, dragged by his weight and lose of balance, crashed down on top of him, her chin hitting his knee with thud. A moment later she was gagging and spitting out blood all over Kenny's jeans.

Swapping Judith's hands, so that I now held both in one hand, I skated as fast as I could over to where Mia was kneeing, spitting out more blood all over the ice and Kenny.

God, what had she done? Shattered her teeth? Bitten off her tongue? There was so much blood coming out of her mouth and Kenny wasn't doing a single thing to help as she gagged on her own blood, a feeling that I knew from when Richter broke my nose. It is not a nice sensation… or taste.

Even though originally Judith and I had been the closest to the two, Lars still got over to them first, taking Mia's bloody face in his hands as he checked on whatever was causing all the blood before handing her his handkerchief to keep pressure on the wound

"That's enough skating for one night." He said to the rest of us as he helped Mia to her feet since Kenny had managed to disentangle himself already but didn't have enough balance to help her up, not that I think Lars would have allowed him too, not since that was more or less his fault that she was spiting up blood everywhere.

Mia's head was hanging low, but you could still see just how red her face was from the incident.

"You'll be fine." Lars was saying as he helped her back across the ice.

"But my tongue?" though she didn't quite say it like that, there was a slur to her words.

"Did you bite your tongue? Judith asked once we were safely back on solid ground.

Mia eyed her with that suspicious look that she has started to wear more and more frequently these past few months, as if she is waiting to be judged or laughed at, before she finally nodded.

Judith winced in sympathy.

"You're very lucky you didn't bite the tip off with that fall," she said trying to soothe Mia, though it seemed that she was doing anything but that, what with how wide Mia's eyes got and the sceptical look she was giving her.

"At most you might need a stitch." Judith said, smiling encouragingly at Mia, who only looked even more freaked out, before ducky her head back down to stared at her feet so that her hair now covered her face.

I moved forward to say something, anything but Mia was already tugging off her skates and pulling on her combat boots while Lars was calling for the Limo to come and pick them up.

It was then I noticed all the flashing of camera from the tourist standing around the rink, realising then that they had been taking pictures of us since Mia first fell down.

I was tempted to flash them a rude hand sign, but it wouldn't have helped. The damage was already done; they probably all guessed who Mia was and were probably all now gushing over the fact that they had pictures of the Princess of Genovia with a split, bloody tongue.

No wonder Mia looked just about ready to die from embarrassment.

That and the fact that Kenny was saying sorry over and over again and Mia was trying to wave him off, spluttering that it was fine, that it was an accident and so on. Personally I hoped that she'd hit but that just me. I swear, I'm not the jealous, vengeful type, not at all… well, except when Mia is hurt either physically or mentally.

I could hear her softly sniffling. Obviously she wanted to cry but was fighting back the tears, probably so that she wouldn't make Kenny feel any worse then he obviously felt.

I hovered nervously near her, not able to do anything but still desperate to do something.

"Will she be ok?" I asked Lars. Lars looked at me, possibly a little surprised because I hadn't exactly been well all the friendly towards Mia (and by default, him too) this past month.

"She'll be fine." He said in his calm bodyguard voice that made me realise just how badly I might have messed up this time. "It'll hurt for a couple of days. She won't be able to eat certain foods and talking will probably be painful but other than that I can see no permanent damage." I let out a sigh of relief though his next words winded me. "You on the other hand, well…" and he left it at that for the Limo had arrived and Mia was close to bolting for it, not evening looking back to wave goodbye.

"Poor kid." I heard Judith say again. "And this time I mean her." she added and I nodded. Yeah, I guessed that. I stared after her limo with sick heart.

"Well that was some excitement we could have done without." Lil said as we stood in the elevator to get to our apartment.

"Yeah."

"And you tried to be all knightly and help her." Lil chuckled.

"Shut up."

"And you said you didn't care any more." Lil snorted.

I glared at her but it was half-hearted.

"Are you going out with Judith?" I gagged, staggering a little as we stepped out of the elevator.

"What? No! Why?"

"Just wondering," she said with a shrug, "just that you two seem to have been real cosy of later and you know, _people_ are starting to wonder." I frowned at how much emphasis she put into people.

"I'm not going out with Judith Lil." No, I just make out with her at random moments and have slept with her, but no, not going out.

"Good, because doesn't she, like, already have a boyfriend or something? Who goes to Trinity?"

"Yup." And I already feel bad about that fact, thanks, even if he is a cheating bastard, but ha, yeah I can't talk. "Why?"

"Ok, good and I'm just checking. You know making sure you two aren't getting up to something that you shouldn't be." I clicked on then and gave her a deadpan expression.

"Is this pay back of some kind for all the interrogation you got about what you and Hank were up to in October?"

"Something like that." she paused in front of our door, baring my path from entering the apartment and escaping to the safety of my room."You're honestly not going out with Judith?"

"Lil, I swear I'm not." She gave me a searching look before sighing and allowed me to open the front door.

"Hey kids," Dad greeted us as we came in, "did you have fun…" he stopped there and let us fill in the blank due to the fact that both he and Mom had been out all day and yeah, hadn't known what their children were up to. Sometimes, you got to love over-worked parents.

"Ice-skating rink." Lil supplied him.

"Ooh," Mom said looking delighted. Mom loves ice-skating; it's the only sporting event that she'll actually watch when the Olympic are on. "Did you have fun?"

Lil just gave Mom one of her looks before snorting out, "No." Mom's face fell a little at that, so hurriedly, so that we didn't get into some family therapy session, I quickly add, "Mia got hurt."

Now both our parents sat up at the table just that little bit straighter. It was times like these when you (meaning Lil and me) can tell just how much Mia is a part of our family and also our parents' favourite child. If one of us had been hurt at the rink, yes there would have been you know the normal 'oh no' and 'are you alright', but with Mia, it's like someone's shocked them or something. They both were wearing these horrified, worried looks on their faces which caused Lil who was grabbing a coke from the fridge to snort.

"Is she alright?"

"Oh she's fine." Lil said airily, "she just bit her tongue off."

"Lil!" I said with a groan as I saw our parents become more horrified.

"She did bite her tongue, but it isn't like hanging off or anything." I reassured them quickly. "She'll be fine in a couple of days."

"How did this happen."

"Kenny was being an idiot." Lil and I both said at the same time, which caused us to look at each with a 'what the hell did you do that for' expression. It doesn't happen often but there are times when we talk in sync with each other.

For a moment our parents looked confused.

"Kenny?" Mom asked

"Mia's boyfriend."

"Oh." They said both looking embarrassed that they had forgotten. Then Dad suddenly looked startled, his eyes widening as he stared at me questioningly. I looked pointedly away from him. I didn't want to talk about it.

I sat quietly at the table, eating my food while Lil told our parents, in full detail all about Mia's accident at the Ice rink.

I had to eat slowly and only chew my food on the right side of my mouth because annoyingly, it looks like I have cavity in one of the teeth on my left.

It is so annoying! Why is always me who has to deal with all these problems with my teeth and my mouth?

Cavities, braces and so on, I've had them all pretty much, despite the fact that I've always take pretty good care of my teeth, ok, so mostly because of these problems that I've had, but still I take care of them and how do they repay me? By giving me a bloody tooth ache? Or cavities?

I do all the right things by my teeth, doing everything our dentist tells me to do and yet, I'm the one with cavities while my darling sister, who doesn't take nearly as much care of her teeth as me has never even had one filling in her whole life.

With her, going to the dentist, she walks in to his office and she walks out of his office. Me, I'm stuck in there for bloody hours and afterwards not being able to talk probably for hours (once even days) because firstly my mouth is numb and then when that wears off, it hurts too much to talk.

God, I'm dreading when my wisdom teeth finally come through. Or knowing my dental luck, they won't! They'll be stuck somewhere in my jaw, hiding, being near impossible to pull out, because that'll be what will probably happen with them, being ripped out.

Ow….

Life honestly is not fair.

Speaking of which…

"Poor Mia," Mom sighed, before turning to me, "oh, since we're on the subject of mouths, Michael your dentist appointed for your tooth is on Monday morning."

"Wonderful." I said sighing heavily, as if I didn't have enough filled in already!

"Sucker." Lil sniggered. I glared at her, tempted to peg my mashed potato at her.

"Kids." Dad warned. Dad has something of a sixth sense when it comes to Lil and my fights, though since we do it so often maybe he just expects us to start fighting whenever we're in the same room together.

"Michael?" I looked up from where I was loading the last dirty dinner plates into the dishwasher, frowning. Then I saw his face.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said firmly.

"Are you sure?" Dad asked.

"Yup, pretty much. Look, Dad I'm tired, so I'm going to head for bed ok?" Dad let out a sigh, before suddenly reaching for something on the kitchen countertop.

"I saw these today and I remembered that you used to have some on your ceiling before we repainted, so…" he pushed the thin packet towards me. Frowning, I picked it up and blinked.

Glow-in-the-dark stars.

"Thanks Dad." I said, I feel a little stupid by how much seeing these stickers made me incredibly happy.

"Yeah, well, I know you were thinking of redecorating your ceiling." Dad said shrugging. "And you seemed a bit down of late and I thought these might cheer you up some."

"Really, thanks Dad." I said again, grinning at him.

He let me go to my room after that, not interrogating me on my "down" mood that I had been in for the past month.

I know that he knew now what had caused it, so I guess he figured that if I wanted to talk about it, then you know, I would. I just didn't right then. Or ever…

I was tired of everyone saying that I had been too slow, that if I had just been faster about asking her out, then this never would have happen and Mia would be my girlfriend, not Kenny's.

I was sick of hearing that.

Sick of it being brought up when really I didn't even want to talk about it.

The only one who seems to be respecting my 'do not want to talk about it' is Felix, but this is mostly due to my not ragging on him about the drugs and alcohol, well, not all the time, that is.

Oh and Judith but she doesn't know the whole extent of it, she just knows I like someone, she just doesn't know who that someone is. And truthfully I don't feel like telling her. I want at least one damn person on the planet not knowing that I like (love) the Princess of Genovia, that is beside her, the princess of Genovia, herself.

At the moment, I think I would pretty much die if she somehow found out… that is, unless, she dumped Kenny on the spot upon hearing of my feelings for her and then proceeded to kiss me senseless, then I would be just fine with her knowing.

But seriously, what are the chances of _that_ happening?

Even bloody Richter made mocking sympathetic noise when it first went around the school that the Princess of Genovia was going out with computer nerd Kenny Showalter. It had taken a lot of self control not to punch Richter in those first couple of days; I still don't know how I managed to last without punching him.

I spent an hour or so sticking up the glow-in-the-dark star up in the form of the spiral galaxy Andromeda. When I lay down on my bed, with my light off, I was actually more than a little impressed by my handy work.

My ceiling actually looks good for like the first time in years. Or at least interesting.

I watch the stars glow until they finally faded and my eyes grew heavy and sleep took me.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So, a somewhat long chapter for chapter one.  
>And yes, I did the same thing that Meg did, skipped all of November and went straight into December.<br>I am sorry, I did try to write a few little November scenes but it was too depressing and writing depressive Michael isn't fun, also I had a feeling that I'd have to write Michael being an arse if I wanted to include any Mia/Michael scene or him simply ignoring her. And honestly, who wants to read about that? I made him enough of a jerk, I think, in this chapter to make up for all him mopey, jerky moments that he probably had through out November.  
>I might write a one shot or something about this period of time, but otherwise, I'm, clearly, jumping straight into the action.<p> 


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I am honestly starting to think that Mondays honestly aren't my days. I mean seriously, seeing the dentist is bad enough without having to see him on a Monday. It's completely starting the week off on a bad leg.

Or so I thought.

I mean, I got to school and everything was pretty mundane, no one even gave me a second glance when I walked into Chemistry, not even Felix but then he was asleep, so doesn't count. Almost had a heart attack though when he woke up and found me sitting beside him. Almost fell off his chair in shock.

"I'm not that scary am I?" I said, as I grabbed his arm to steady him on his stool.

"No, but you've been in such a bad mood this past month you might as well be."

"I have not."

"Well, you're not at the moment, but that's probably because you're still high off the happy gas the dentist gave you."

"I am not." Though what happen afterwards, at lunchtime, I could very well blame on the "happy gas".

Not that anything actually happened, it was just that something _might_ have happen, _could_ have happened, but just didn't, but that is a completely different thing entirely.

All I did was talk to her, nothing was meant by it and yet…

Anyway, what happen was at lunch was that I was heading for the burger grill and to get there you have to pass the salad bar, where Mia was currently standing at the time creating at pyramid out chickpeas and pinto beans.

I was half tempted to ask if she was actually planning on eating it or was simply creating food art.

Hey, it could happen, her mom is an artist after all.

Granted that, she almost always creates her works of art with paint, not food, but you know, each to their own. Plus it was surprising good pyramid even if was created out of chickpeas and pinto beans.

But instead of asking if this was her new career choice, I was getting kind of tired of being a jerk or more often then not, ignoring her completely, I tapped her on the shoulder. Which caused her to jump, that was how immersed she was in creating her pyramid that she didn't even notice anyone (being me) coming up beside her.

"Hi."

"_Hello_." Which came out as a squeal as her head whipped around to face me.

"Hi." Came out a little more softly as her cheeks exploded with colour. I was glad to see or rather hear that her tongue wasn't giving her too much trouble when it came to talking.

"How you doing?" I asked only realising afterwards that it sounded like one of Felix's more cheesier pick up line (and yet, somehow it works every time! One of the great mysteries of the universe.). I quickly added. "With your tongue?"

She squeaked out "fine," and I more or less thought that'd be the end of it, on the account that she was clearly embarrassed and that I was clearly making her embarrassment worse.

I moved to leave, feeling more dishearten then I'm ever going to admit when Mia asked, sounding far more like herself, how my dentist appointment went.

I blinked at her a stupidly before asking how she knew about it.

She went all red again mumbling that she heard it mention last time she was over at ours, which was like two weeks ago and that Lil had mention that it was today.

"Um," I said feeling a little stupid while at the same rather pleased that she had asked, "it was ok. Had to have a cavity filled and…" and so I started prattling away.

I can't believe I was standing there, talking to her at the salad bar about how numb my mouth was from the novocaine. I mean seriously! But that's when things turned weird.

As I talked I noticed just how focused Mia's eyes were on my mouth and that this sort of thoughtful expression came over her face.

I don't know but for a few moments there I actually thought that she was going to kiss me. That was how intent she was on watching my mouth.

It sort of reminded me of when I first discovered my feeling for Mia; I had been watching her talk and then had randomly started thinking of what it'd be like to kiss her.

Was she thinking the same thing as I had then?

It was so tempting to just lean forward and just find out by kissing her except that was when Kenny choose to pass us to get his lunch, if you can call it lunch. Coke I can understand, an ice cream sandwich on the other hand, not so much.

But even with his strange choice of what he considers lunch he obviously picked up something up from the two of us because he didn't say Hi back after we greeted him. He just kept walking and Mia's face looked about ready to explode with how red it was, not to mention her guilty expression. Though what she had to be guilty about… I looked at her face searching but she was now refusing to meet my gaze and with a very meek 'bye' she was bolting for her table, with me staring after her slightly opened mouth.

I am never going to understand girls.

I got my lunch and sat down with the rest of the computer club, beside Judith because she wanted me to help her figure out how to fix the glitches that were starting to appear as we came to the finishing touches of Winter Carnival game.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed every so often Mia would look in our direction, with the slightest of frowns appearing on her face.

Was she jealous? Or was I just letting wishful thinking run away with my head?

Wishful thinking, I decided and I went back to my food.

"Are you sure it's alright for me to be in here?" Judith asked as we walked into G&T.

"Sure, why not?"

"Well, besides the obvious fact that I'm not in this class." Judith pointed out.

"Besides that. Look, no one will care."

"What about Mrs Hills?"

"Her? She won't even notice you, that is if she actually turns up." I said with a snort, because I highly doubted that she would. Over the past month her time in here has grown steady less, so that now we basically ruled the classroom again.

"You mean…"

"Didn't you watch the interview Mia did with Beverly Bellerieve? She explained quite accurately what we do in here, which is nothing, well besides the occasional goofing off."

"Of course I saw it, but I didn't think she was actually serious. I thought she was joking or something." Judith said as she sat down beside me as I pulled out my laptop.

"No-pe." I let my 'p' pop. "She was telling the truth."

"Ah." Judith said as she watched Mia and Lilly come into the classroom, deep in discussion about the term paper proposal that Lil wrote for English, that was turned down by Mrs Spears. Lil was quite peeved by the fact that it was turned down and said that it was due to the fact that the school administrations feared what she had to say about AEHS.

"What was her report on?" Judith whispered to me, her eyes wide as she stared at my sister with a look that I well recognised, one that was trying to figure out what Lil was about, while at the same time trying to figure out if they really wanted to.

"Oh some survival guide on how to survive the hellhole that is known as High School." I replied.

"Oh." Judith said before starting to giggle as Lilly started to rant.

"The real problem with this school isn't the teachers. It's the apathy of the student body. For instance, let's say we wanted to stage a walkout."

"A walkout?" Mia stared at Lil slightly opened mouth, before starting to shake her head.

"She isn't serious, is she?" Judith whispered to me.

"Oh, knowing Lil…" I rolled my eyes at her without finishing my sentence and she looked as stunned as Mia.

"You know. We all get up and walk out of the school at the same time." Lil said, as if this was the most brilliant idea ever to be thought up. Mia looked at her with a doubtful expression written all over her face.

"Just because Mrs Spears turned down your term paper proposal?" Mia asked with raised eyebrows, she didn't look convinced which is actually quite a change for her because only a couple of months ago she would have gone along with Lil, almost no questions asked. Now, she was expressing doubt and disinterest in Lil's plans.

"No, Mia." Lil was becoming obviously frustrated by Mia obvious lack of support in her plans. "Because she's trying to usurp our individuality by forcing us to bend to corporate feudalism. Again." Mia's eyebrows only moved higher up her forehead as she said,

"Oh. And how is she doing that?" I leant back in my chair, thoroughly amused. I hadn't realised just how outspoken Mia had become in the last month.

"By censoring us when we are at our most creatively fertile." Lilly exclaimed sounding thoroughly frustrated and exasperated. Feelings that were only to be enhanced by Boris sticking his head out of the supply closet (Judith was a little more than shocked to see him being shut in there at the beginning of class) and asking, "Fertile? Did someone say fertile?" Lil looked over at him in disgust as snapped at him to get back in the closet before she turned her attention on to me.

Oh this can all be good!

"Michael," she started trying to sound sweet and innocent, something that she can't do and shouldn't try to do because it just looks wrong, "can you send a mass e-mail tonight to the entire student body, declaring a walkout tomorrow at ten?" she was kidding right?

"I can," I started slowly, "but I won't."

"WHY NOT?" Ow, my ears!

"Because," I spoke with a calm, reasonable voice, "it was your turn to empty the dishwasher last night, but you weren't home so I had to do it." Petty I know, but I was getting sick and tired of continually doing her chores for her.

"But I TOLD Mom I had to go down to the studio to edit the last few finishing touches on this weeks show!" I saw Judith's eyebrows move a little at the word 'show'. Lil's show despite what she likes to think isn't that well known and that only a handful of people actually watch it more than once. Most, who accidently stumble across it, usually make sure that they never do so again.

"Look, if you're having time management issues, don't take it out on me. Just don't except me to meekly do your bidding, especially when you already owe me." Ok, I realise that that might have sounded harsh, but I've spent the last month with her glaring at me and otherwise being a complete pain towards me and I'm sick of being stuck with all her chores!

"Lilly, no offence, but I don't think this week's a good time to have a walkout," Mia was saying obviously trying to calm Lil down from exploding something that, from furious look on her face, was imminent, "anyway. I mean, after all, it's almost Finals." Instead of calming her, it only added more oil to the flames.

"SO?" Lil snapped.

"So, "Mia said looking a little impatient now, "some of us really need to stay in class. I can't afford to miss any review sessions. I'm getting bad enough grades as it is." The last bit came out as small regretful sigh and she looked at her textbook and notebook pointedly as if she was trying to simply absorb the information right out the books and into her head.

I felt a small sting to my heart.

Our tutoring sessions, what was left of them that is, were sporadic. All over the place. I don't think I've done a proper, full week of tutoring with her in G&T at all for the past month.

Had she suffered because of that? But she was doing so well!

I couldn't help the surprise in my voice as I said; "Really?" she looked at me surprise, though maybe a little guardedly. I could see a small frowning forming between her eyes. Forcing myself to ignore it, I added, "I thought you were doing better in Algebra."

"If you can call a D plus better?" she said a tiny bit dryly. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to looking over her textbook, but I couldn't leave it there.

She was mad at me and even though I had told myself to give it up, to give her up, I couldn't bear to have her mad at me, for whatever reason that she was.

Was it because of what happened at lunch? Or didn't happen? What had I done for her to be so… dry and standoff-ish towards me? Besides being dry and standoff-ish with her… Crap!

Was this some kind of payback for all the crap I've dished out her this past year while trying to hide my feeling for her? Was she finally fed up with me and now wanted nothing to do with me?

"Aw, come on. You have to be making better than a D plus. Your mom is married to your Algebra teacher." But really, this means absolutely nothing; because Mr G isn't the type of teacher who picks favourite with his students, even his stepdaughter. He's fair to everyone.

As Mia pointed out.

"So?" she sounded frustrated but I was sure it was more towards her homework and the idea of Lil's walkout than me, or at least I hoped, "That doesn't mean anything. You know Mr G doesn't play favourites."

"I would think he'd cut his own stepdaughter a little slack, is all." I said trying to defending myself against her frustrated, annoyed gaze.

"WOULD YOU TWO PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE SITUATION AT HAND, WHICH IS THE FACT THAT THIS SCHOOL IS IN VITAL NEED OF SERIOUS REFORM." Lil yelled, causing Mia and me (plus the rest of the class) to look at her as if she were mental.

"But can't we just reform the school after our Finals?" Mia asked, "I mean, it's not like these problems are just going to disappear over the winter break, so we can reform the school next term." Lil death glared her, causing Mia to sigh a long-suffering sigh, "Or not." Before she turned her attention on to her Algebra homework. She didn't look up from it again until the end of the lesson and then she just about bolted from the classroom.

Maybe she was just desperate to see Kenny, I thought humourlessly and shoved my laptop into my bag with more vigour than I meant. Judith looked at me, somewhat startled but I ignored her and stalked out of the room and headed for Trig.

God, I hate my life sometimes.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I had no idea when I started writing this, that it'd be so hard to write! You know for a book (and series) that is more or less about Mia and Michael's feelings for each other and how they get together, he's barely in this one! Which is annoying, because as much as I do enjoy writing my own scenes in this series, I still need some reference to what's going in Mia's world, but with this one, it's really hard, because he barely appears, or when he does, he isn't really interacting with her like he was in the previous two books and 'sighs heavily', I'm getting kind of stuck because of it. I miss writing M&M scenes and I'm kind of tired of Michael being such a grouch! Though hopefully, things will start to speed up again soon... please.  
>Oh and yeah, looks like I haven't lost any readers so far, actually I think we've pick up a few new readers, which is very cool and I am very happy about. Thank you to everyone who has read and commented on this fic so far, it means alot.<br>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will update soon.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

I don't know whether to continue hating my life and living in the little dark hole I've dug myself into or to actually stick my head out of said hole and start to hope again. Not too much, because he might have just been overreacting.

'Snort', overreacting is an understatement for what he did, for what he yelled, right in the middle of the third-floor hallway at school FOR EVERYONE TO HEAR!

I was just coming out of the Chem. lab with Felix when it happened, when some kid yelled, for the whole flipping world to hear.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T FEEL THE SAME WAY, MIA." Here I thought, ah crap, "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU."

"Hey," I poked Felix who was standing in front of me and was able to stick his head out the door to see what the heck was going on, "Please don't tell me that was Kenny Showalter just now."

"Uh," was Felix's intelligent reply.

"It was, wasn't it?"

"You asked me not to tell you." Felix replied.

Rolling my eyes I shoved past him and into the hallway, which was almost exploding with laughter. Wonderful.

Down the hall a bit from where I was standing I could see Mia staring at Kenny in a way that made me certain that if she wasn't about to die from embarrassment right then, she would have been kicking Kenny, very hard, right where it hurts. For a guy… nuff said.

I felt the tiniest bout of pity for the guy. And possibly a smidge more when, without saying a word, Mia spun around and bolted down the hallway and disappearing (with Lars right behind her) down the stairs.

"I don't know whether to laugh or to feel sorry for the kid." Felix admitted as we walked for Computer Labs.

"How bout both?" I said as we walked into Computer Graphics and logged on to the computers, not that we were planning on doing any work, since Robertson wasn't being bothered setting us any new tasks to do.

"Hmmm. Hey, you know what this means though?"

"Mia is now the laughing stock of the entire school?"

"Yeah, well, she was that before hand so what else is new." I shot him a look, causing him to hold up his hands in an 'I surrender' sign.

"Anyway, what I mean is, clearly things are not all rainbows and sunshine in paradise." He was grinning a little now.

"What are you talking about?" I asked and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Didn't you listen to a word he said?"

"Ah yeah, it was kinda hard to miss what with him yelling it and all." I growled.

"Yeah and what did he say?" I gave him a 'come on, give me a break' look.

"He said," he continued, completely ignoring my pleading look, "that he didn't care if the princess didn't feel the same way, he would always love her."

"Your point being?" I asked feeling my temper and bad mood rising.

"It means that he's desperate. Guys don't go around saying stuff like that, unless and even then it sort has to wrench out of you, I mean…"

"Felix, get on with it." I growled.

"Oh right, he's desperate and I think he thinks that he's losing her, hence his public declare of his undying love for her." I blinked at him dumbly.

"Losing her?" I said slowly.

"Uh huh. And you saw how she reacted; it wasn't exactly the reaction that's going to make him feel all warm and special inside when he thinks back on this morning."

"He freaked her out." I defended, "she has enough yelled at her without her boyfriend publically humiliating her with saying what he said."

"She still could have said something back." Paul had just entered the class and came to sit on Felix's other side.

"Like?" I challenge them and they both shrugged. I guess my temper was a little more obvious than I thought and neither of them wanted it inflicted upon them.

"Look," Paul said after a little while, "I'm not saying what he did was smart or right or whatever, but he put himself on the line there and she just… bolted."

"And you're saying you wouldn't do the same thing if some scrawny kid screamed that at you?" Felix teased and Paul glared at him.

"I would have at least said 'thanks' or something. I wouldn't have left him hanging there." Paul muttered.

"Yeah and he could have said it in the privacy of _not_ the school hallway and with his speaking voice not yelling for the whole freaking world to hear." I pointed out crankily.

"I already said it wasn't exactly the smartest thing he could have done. And she obviously isn't one of those girls who responses well to public affection."

"I wouldn't either if that was screamed at me for all to hear." Felix snorted out with laughter. Paul and I ignored him.

"But a little recognition," Paul continued, "a nod at the very least, not simply running away, would have been a nice thing for her to have done."

Yeah, and as annoying as this was to admit, I did kind of agree with him.

Anyway, if I had hoped that that would be the end of it for the day, then I was sadly mistaken because at lunch it seemed to be the only thing that people were talking about and in G&T it was the same thing, only with Lil ripping into Mia about it.

I walked into G&T with Judith by my side. She had been acting a bit odd today and I don't mean just because she was wearing tan-coloured tights. Not that I actually noticed or cared, but Felix pointed it out to me in Chem when she came in.

I was tempted to ask her but decided not to because it really was none of my business. Plus she looked quite a bit upset after she had returned from disappearing quite suddenly at lunch.

And really I wasn't paying overly that much attention to her or the game for our booth, not when my sister was apologising, yes that's right, apologising for something, yeah I almost had a heart attack too, about not believing Mia about the weird phone call she had received from Kenny a few nights back.

"Poor kid," Judith said suddenly, leaning on my chair so that she could look around me to where the two girls were sitting both whom looked at her with weird expressions. Well Lil simply looked surprised, while Mia's expression was real odd.

I don't think I've ever seen her look that way towards anyone before, even to all the people who had been mean to her; she has never given them such a nasty look.

I wonder why… No, honestly, I have no idea. I mean, I don't think Judith and her have ever actually spoken to each other before this past week.

"I heard what he said you in the hall," Yeah, Judith, we all did, "I was in the Chem. Lab. What was it again?" she looked at me, but I remained expressionless, "'I don't care if you don't feel the same way, Mia, I will always love you' or something like that?" Nope, you are right on the mark, Judith, I thought with a sigh.

Mia didn't say anything, but the nasty expression on her face only intensified, almost to a point where I was actually starting to worry that she might just jab her pencil into Judith hand or forehead. Seriously, what had Mia in such a foul mood?

I have honestly never seen her like this.

She looked positively murderous. Had what Kenny said really upset and anger her so much that she was taking her anger out on everyone else? Or rather at the moment just Judith. But why Judith of all people? Why not my sister? My sister wasn't the one trying to be nice to Mia, as Judith was.

"It's really sweet." More death glares, "if you think about it." Judith added quickly; guess she finally noticed Mia's facial expression. "I mean, the guy's clearly got it bad for you." Instead of looking reassured or whatever, Mia simply pulled a face and went to scowling at her text book.

"He's obviously very in touch with his emotions." Lil said and I realised that she was going to take Kenny's side in this instead of her obviously unhappy best friend's side. "Unlike _some_ people."

I noticed that she was glaring in my direction as she said it, but I chose or rather, forced myself to ignore her.

Mia lifted her head, hurt and annoyance written all over her face and for a moment I thought she was going to explode at Lil, except even though she kept opening her mouth, no words came out and she looked close to tears because of it.

I don't know, there's something about the threat of Mia crying changes something in me, makes me bolder or something, not to mention the desire protect and defend her.

"Just because," I started surprising the three girls, even myself because I had sworn I wasn't going to be involved in this conversation, "Mia doesn't go around shouting about her feeling," though I wished that she did. Heck I might know how she felt about me then, "in the third-floor hallway, doesn't mean she isn't in touch with her emotions."

"Yeah." Mia said and I had to force myself not to laugh at the ridiculously triumphant expression written all over her face.

"Well," Lil said looking huffy. Something she always becomes whenever I defend Mia, "you could have said something back to him. Instead of just leaving him hanging there." I sighed. And we were back to the conversation that I had had earlier with Paul and Felix.

Wonderful!

"And what should I have said to him? Mia demanded crankily, though she was so setting herself up to get rip into some more by Lil.

"How about that you love him back." Lil replied coolly.

Mia looked like she was just about ready to die just then, glancing desperately in Lars direction as if trying to convey the message that he was to shoot her now.

"Look," Mia said as her cheeks started to burn, "I really and truly value Kenny's companionship," Companionship? Clearly she had been into her friend's Tine's romance novels again. "But love. I mean, love." Mia said slowly and carefully and despite myself I found myself leaning in closer, so as to catch every word she spoke, "that is a very big thing." Don't I know it and yet I feel it every time I look at you, "I'm not, I mean, I don't…" Her cheeks flamed even more brightly and I swore she looked in my direction before ducking her head down to stare at her desk again, her hand moving to her lips as she absently started to bite her nails, something I know she does whenever she is nerves or upset.

"I see," Lil said coldly as she narrowed her eyes at Mia, "Fear of commitment."

"I do not fear commitment." Mia muttered, not looking up from the desk, "I just…"

I noticed then that Lil's eyes were shining and realised that she wasn't mad at all, she was simply using a technique she had learnt off our parents to get information out of Mia.

I noticed that Mia had noticed this to and was giving Lil an unimpressed expression. Lil gave a disgruntled sigh.

"Lets examine the situation, shall we?" she started and I saw Mia roll her eyes to the heavens, "I mean, here you've got this guy going around the hallways screaming about how much he loves you, and you just stare at him like a rat caught in the path of the D train. What do you suppose that means?" Mia looked peeved again, and when she's upset or angry Mia doesn't generally think before she speaks.

"Have you ever considered," she snapped angrily, "that maybe the reason I didn't tell him I loved him back is because I - " she suddenly stopped her face close to exploding now and she slid a little in her chair as she tried to sink out of sight, not an easy feat because of her height, but then she seemed to shake herself or possibly force herself not to hide because she sat back up again, her back a little straighter.

"Lilly, you know perfectly well I do not fear commitment. I mean, there are lots of boys I - "

"Oh yeah?" Lil asked, she was enjoying herself a little too much as if something that she had suspected or already knew about had now been confirmed for her and she was grinning in triumphant.

"Name one." That made Mia gap before strangling out.

"Name what?" Obviously she knew what Lil was up so was trying to play dumb for as long as she possibly could.

"Name a boy that you could see yourself committing to for all eternity?" Lil said smiling widely.

I noticed Mia's eyes flicker briefly in my direction, before sliding to where Judith was sitting, trying to do work on the game obviously feeling that this was a conversation that she really shouldn't be listening(along with the rest of the class. Along with me and yet I couldn't stop myself from listening, it was interesting, plus this little sort spot of hope was starting to form in my chest.) to.

"What do you want – a list?" Mia growled.

Lil grinned wider.

"A list would be nice."

Mia spent the next few minutes writing up a list that I was pretty sure I wasn't on and that it wasn't the best of list because when she handed to Lil to look over, after a minute or so, Lil swatted Mia's notebook (where she had written her list) over her head.

"You need to lower you expectations or you're going to live a very unsatisfactory love life." Which made me want to look over that list even more desperately, but it was written in that notebook that Mia takes everywhere with her and never lets out of her sight. She's almost constantly writing in it. Like she was now.

The desire to just "borrow" it grew a little stronger, but I forced it back and turned my attention back to helping Judith with the game, but something Mia had said kept going around and around my brain, making me dizzy.

_Have you ever considered that maybe the reason I didn't tell him I loved him back is because I -_

What had she meant by that? What was she going to say before she stopped herself?

I looked away from the scene and snuck a glance over to where Mia was sitting, writing furiously into her notebook.

Beside her I saw Lil smirking at me and I shot her a withering look before returning my attention back to my laptops screen.

* * *

><p>I known for a long time, a very long time that my sister was not quite right in the head, but seriously… she had to be kidding me.<p>

I re-read the email that I had just received, unable to believed what I was reading.

She was actually serious about this walkout thing? All because of her term paper proposal was rejected? Seriously?

I noticed that Mia was online and without even thinking about the fact that there might be a possibility that she might not what to talk to me, knowing that I had overheard her rather embarrassing and quite personal conversation with Lil in G&T, I IM her.

_**CracKing:**_ Did you just get that whacked-out mass email from my sister?

She replied at once, so obviously no hard feeling over my listening in this afternoon.

_**FtLouis:**_ Yes.

_**CracKing:**_ You're not going along with her stupid walkout, are you?

Though I doubted it, especially after today. I don't think Mia will overly keen to join in on any of Lil's schemes for awhile.

_**FtLouie:**_ Oh, right. – or maybe not – She won't be too mad if I don't, or anything.

Even though she was being sarcastic I could hear the bitterness in her words, which surprised me a little. I guess she was still more than a little upset with this afternoon's conversation.

_**CracKing:**_ You don't have to do everything she says, you know, Mia. – I wrote back to her, gently. I didn't want to upset her anymore than she clearly obviously was – I mean, you've stood up to her before. Why not now?

Though in saying (or rather typing) that, she had been standing up and defending herself against my sister more and more often of late. I guess having those Princess lessons every afternoon is doing her some good after all.

_**FtLouie:**_ I find that the path of least resistance is often the safest one when dealing with your sister.

I rolled my eyes at that, but in a way I couldn't fault her, self preservation, is important after all, but still… Freedom is to think and do what you want is important too.

_**CracKing:**_ Well, I'm not doing it. Walking out, I mean.

_**FtLouie:**_ It's different for you. You're her brother. – and you might as well be her sister, I thought before being a little more than disturbed by the idea, though it would definitely make my life a whole lot easier if I could just think of her like that – She has to remain on speaking terms with you. You live together.

_**CracKing:**_ Not for much longer. Thank God.

I couldn't help but grin at thought of being out of this place.

_**FtLouie:**_ That's right. You got accepted in Columbia. Early decision too. I never did congratulate you. So, congratulation."

I felt my grin soften. Even on the screen, typed, I could still feel her genuine happiness for me. And it warmed me in a way that I hadn't previously felt. She was actually happy for me; she was actually pleased for me.

Now my grinned had turned goofy.

And what do I say in return? Thanks… yup, that's all, that's all said in return. God, I am great man of words.

_**FtLouie:**_ You must be happy that you'll know at least one other person there. – Huh? – Judith Gershner, I mean.

Again, huh?

Why is she bringing up Judith for?

I suddenly remembered something that Lil had said last Saturday;

_Just__that__you__two__seem__to__have__been__real__cosy__of__later__and__you__know,_people _are__starting__to__wonder_

Oh god… did Mia think I was going out with Judith? I mean, no one else has mention anything about it. Not Felix or Paul or anyone, no one but Lil has asked if I was going out with Judith. And that was after the ice rink disaster.

For weeks, Lil's saw Judith and me working together and said nothing about it and yet she brought it up after we went to the ice rink together, where Mia saw us together for the first time…

Am I looking too deeply into this? Or what?

Shaking my head, promising myself that I'd muse over this later, I typed back.

_**CracKing:**_Yeah, I guess so. Listen, you're still going to be in town for the Winter Carnival, right? – wait, what was I doing? Oh, who cared – I mean, you're not leaving for Genovia before the 18th, are you?

There was a short pause; she was probably wondering why I was asking her this as much as I was. I just wanted her there for some reason.

_**FtLouie:**_ I'm leaving for Genovia on the 19th.

_**CracKing:**_ Oh, good. – God, I'm lame! – because you should really stop by the Computer Club booth at the Carnival and check out this program I've been working on. I think you'll like it.

Yeah, she'll probably really appreciate seeing her stepfather dressed up in all sorts of bizarre costumes.

Or maybe I could make a whole new program, just for her. It could be like my Christmas present to her, not that I've given her Christmas present in years. I think the last one was when she was ten and that was only because she had made me this clay sculpture of Pavlov, which I still have and is sitting proudly on my bookshelf right now. In return, for Christmas, I had given her a whole heap of Greenpeace and RSPCA badgers. Some of which I know she still has because they are pined all over her backpack.

_**FtLouie:**_ Can't wait. Well, I have to go. Bye.

I typed a quick bye back, but my head was already forming a possible program, just for her.

I felt myself grin and immediately got to work on it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> This chapter was fun to write because I've honestly wanted to know what was going on in Michael's head when Kenny was confessing his undying love to Mia. And so what was going on in his head during Lil's interrogation of Mia on the whole incident?  
>It would be really, truly cool if Meg wrote a book that just had like a series of one-shots of key scenes from all her leading males POV from all her books. Personally I'd probably only read the one-shots to do with Michael and Jesse and ok possibly Christopher and Paul and maybe, maybe JP (Oh and she should throw in a one-shot or two from Lars and Father Dom's POV). That would be like the best book ever to own, we finally know what's going on in all those guys frustrating heads! Honestly, which one of you wouldn't want to own that sort of book, hmm? Maybe if we bugged Meg enough, she might just do that, hehehe.<br>Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing. I'm getting a little disturbed by how much I've started to enjoy writing Cranky-Michael. I seem to be writing him all over the place, because he seems to be all over the place in this book, for example the last chapter I just finished writing, he started out really down and cranky, then he got super happy about somethign that I will not detail here because of thing called 'spoilers' and then he went back to being slight down and mopey and at the moment he's sort of semi he's normal self. So I'm here by procliaming this fic to be the Michael is a yo-yo fic, because he's up down and basically all over the shop, which is really, really interesting to write.  
>Thank God for male friends who are actually willing to talk about their feelings with me so that I have something of grasp of what might being going on in a boy's head if he was in Michael's situation, lol.<br>Ok, so once again hope you all enjoyed, thanks for reading and you all know by now how much comments make me happy.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **I hate doing assignments _AND_ studying for final exams at the same time. It cuts into serious writing time, not to mention giving one, one hellva writers block... Like I wasn't having enough trouble as it was with writing this book 'grumbles'.  
>So if you think I'm being slow or that I've 'shudders' given up on this fic because I haven't updated in awhile, I HAVEN'T! I swear, that if there are any delays to updates, it is because I'm either studying or doing assignment.<br>How I would love to have a Michael right about now. I'm doing Networking at TAFE, working with computers all day long... Oh yay! I could really, so use a Michael right now. I like working with computers well enough, just the theory... 'pulls face'.  
>I'll begin updating regularly again probably around the end up of November.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

Well – this – completely – sucks!

I shivered violently in the wind and the rain along with the rest of the student body of AEHS as we stood on East 75th Street because the fire alarm had gone off, oddly enough at exactly the same time that Lil's walk out was suppose to take place.

Someone _so_ pulled it and I can hear from the shrieking that Lil is making that she is thinking the same thing too!

Blinking through the heavy droplets (I wasn't lucky enough to get out quick enough to get under some scaffolding, so here I am standing out in the rain with the rest of the unlucky suckers), I could see Lil standing underneath some scaffolding which is completely unfair in my opinion since she wanted the stupid walkout at this time on this day and someone had pulled the fire alarm obviously because of her walk out, so in a round about way this is all her fault! So she shouldn't be allowed to be standing in the dry while the rest of us are in the wet, even Mia is getting wetter than she was and she's undercover too and writing, completely ignoring my sister shrieks that someone had "ratted" them out.

I noticed Lars smirking a little too widely at this and saw, even from the distance that I was from them, that Mia's cheeks had gone slightly red.

I saw that Lars had noticed me and saw him wink as he subtly jerked his thumb in Mia's direction. My mouth dropped and suddenly I didn't mind so much that I was out in the rain and wind, without my coat and soaking wet.

Haha, Mia's turned delinquent!

I found that this was what was keeping me from murdering my sister when we were all allowed back inside when it was proven that no; we were not endanger of being burned alive.

Shivering still, I headed for my locker, just as Felix came to walk beside me, shaking his head, giving off the impression of a wet dog.

"Ah, do that somewhere else, why don't you?" I complained as I opened my locker… just as something fell out of it.

Felix and I looked at each other for a moment, before I bent down and picked it up.

"Whoa…" Felix said as he sucked in a breath as we both stared at the thing in my hand. "Sure that's yours?"

I was doubting it a little myself, but I opened the card anyway.

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_You may not know it_

_But someone loves you._

I frowned at the card, the handwriting wasn't familiar and the only two people I knew who might, just might, but probably not, have sent me this card, their handwriting was nothing like this.

I frowned at it for a moment longer before tossing it in my bag, my laptop following it shortly afterwards.

"Who do you think it's from?" Felix asked curiously.

"No idea."

Felix shrugged, not pushing it and probably forgetting all about it as soon as we went for lunch. Me, however, yeah… right.

During G&T I couldn't help but look between Judith, who was sitting beside me working with me on the game and Mia who was sitting by Lil doing her algebra homework. Or at least making it look like she was, though it was obvious that she was struggling.

* * *

><p>"Your head was in the clouds today." Judith said to me later that afternoon.<p>

I had stayed behind after school so as to "help" (meaning, by myself) set up a new colour printer in one of the computer labs.

Anyway, Judith had hung back to keep me company, while also having a play of the Game for the Computer Club booth. It wasn't finished yet but it was already quite amusing.

"Huh?" I said, looking over to her dumbly causing her to smirk slightly.

"My point exactly." She chuckled.

"Sorry." I said looking a little sheepish, "I've just been lost in thought."

"Ah," she said wisely, "unfamiliar territory is it?"

"Shut up," but I could help but grin back at her, "I just haven't been to this section of my brain for awhile, that's all."

We fell silent for a little while before Judith asked,

"So, why were you lost?"

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes at me.

"Why haven't you visited that part of your brain for awhile?"

"Um…" I felt my face go red and heart race.

I couldn't tell her, not about the card. I mean what if she was the one who sent it and I had to explain (not that I would, because I wasn't going to bring it up, that I wished it was from someone else!) about the card, that it had opened up this tiny, little door of hope in my head… and heart.

Anyway, obviously something showed on my face because Judith's face went red and apologetic and she waved her hands in front of her face.

"You know what, never mind, I'm sorry I asked. I mean, it's none of my business, it's your own to know whether you're lost or not lost in your thoughts, I mean…" she sighed, "I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"Yeah, kinda. But its ok," when I saw how downcast she looked, "I'm kinda used to it." she gave me a small smile before sighing.

"He finds – found it annoying." She admitted sadly as she looked back at the computer screen.

I felt uncomfortable. I mean, I'm in a pretty bad place right now because the girl I adore is going out with another guy (who isn't me, obviously) and I can't do anything to tell that I love her, but Judith, Judith is in a way worse situation. I mean, she was "with" the guy that she adored and he went on and cheated on her with, and get this, some brainless cheerleader from Trinity.

"You two still haven't work things out?" I asked cautiously. She shook her head, sniffing.

"Why don't you just dump him? I mean, he treated you like crap before this, didn't he? And now, he's cheating on you, so… dump him."

She pulled a face at me.

"It's not that simple?"

"Oh yeah?"

"Michael, I've known him since we were in the second grade. We've been going out since freshman year, even though we knew we were going to different schools." A tear trickled down her face. "I just don't understand why he's doing this to me." she said softly. "Not that I'm much better." She added more to herself than to me, though I knew perfectly well what she was referring to.

"Thanks," I said a little too sarcastically. She went a little red.

"Sorry."

"Hmph, yeah, well, I let you, remember?"

"You tried to stop me though."

"Yeah," I replied dryly, "for all of, what, three minutes?"

"You were as down as me. Still as down as me, though…" she paused a little as she looked up at me face, her eyes searching.

"You have seemed to have brightened up a little this past week."

"Seriously?" I asked looking at her sceptically, "That's not how I've heard it from Felix and Paul."

"They're guys, what do they know?" she said giving a wave of her hand.

"In the defence of my gender, hey!"

"Yeah, but you're better than most of the guys here… or around." She gave a small roll of her eyes.

I went a little red.

"Thanks."

"So, have you figured out how to ask out the Princess yet?" my head banged against the computer table.

"Oh god! Not you too!" She laughed at me.

I scowled half-heartedly back at her, as I rubbed my forehead. "How long have you known?"

She actually looked a little surprise.

"Uh, just this week, I think." She looked embarrassed. "I think Saturday was when I first clicked on to it. And then I asked Paul and well, please don't be mad at him, but he kind of confirmed my suspicion." Suddenly she started biting her lip and started looking tearful again. "I am so sorry Michael."

"Ah, what? Why?" and why are you crying?

"Well, if I had used my brain and eyes earlier," she sniffed miserably, "and actually bothered to look and saw that you were interested in her instead of being so stupid and seeing only what I wanted to see, then I would never have dragged you into this mess."

"Um, once again," I said feeling rather at a lose as to what to do, "I thought we had already covered my lack of resistance on this whole matter. I let you, remember?"

"Yeah, but you let me use you, which is bad enough, even worse, even though I already guessed that you did like someone else, but I didn't realise until now just how much and…" I rolled my computer chair over to where she was babbling and pressed my hand to her mouth.

"Judith," I said calmly, "firstly shut up." Her eyes widen just a little at that, "Secondly, yeah, you used me but I used you too! As you pointed out back then, we both wanted to get back at someone, and we were both fine with that and agreed that that was what it was all about before hand," I felt her mouth opened to protest some more but I shook my head, " right?" she nodded weakly. "So that was clear from the beginning."

"But, she muttered against my hand, "the rest of this month, I mean, I was still…"

"Again, I let you."

"But…"

"Judith, it's ok." I pulled my hand away from her mouth as she sighed.

"It's still wasn't fair of me," she muttered as she looked away from me before looking back at me with a sad little smile. "I never really had a chance with you did I?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

She laughed softly as she shut my mouth for me with her hand.

"It's ok. I always had a feeling that I didn't."

"Judith…" she smirked at me a little.

"Why do you think I was so horrid to you all these years?"

"Because I kept smashing your ass in tests?" I answered weakly. She scrunched up her nose a little.

"That too. But no, it was more because I kinda always figured you'd be like the guy who was my type and yet I'd never be able to get with and that annoyed me a little. Plus you are rather cute." She said with a sly grin, "for a complete computer nerd. What is it, are you allergic to sunlight or something?" she teased. I felt myself grin a little.

"Well, now that you mention it…" She laughed again before sighing.

"So, whatcha going to do?"

"About?" She rolled her eyes at me.

"About Mia? You have to know she isn't happy with Kenny and that…" she paused looking at my face, searching.

"I don't think she likes me all that much." She said with a teasing smile. "I wonder why."

"Huh?" she laughed again.

"She's jealous, dopey. That's one of things that clued me in about…" she waved at hand at me, as if somehow that explained everything.

"Jealous?" I asked rather blankly.

"Uh huh." She giggled a little more. "Paul was right; you are rather blind with things that are to do with her and her liking you."

"I am not." I grumbled. And she does not, I thought crankily to myself.

"Yeah, you are. But then I have been too, so." she shrugged before sighing.

"Not your fau…" I started but she held out a hand to stop me.

"How bout we drop that end of the conversation and move on to how you're going to get Mia."

I groaned.

"Do we have to? Plus she has a boyfriend, remember?"

"A boyfriend she isn't happy with, re-mem-ber!" she rolled back at me.

"Ok, well what do you think I should do?" I shot back at her, causing her to grin.

"You mean, beside the obvious?" I gave her a blank look and she beat me over the head with her bag.

"Telling her how you feel." I gagged a little on that, causing her to beat me over the head again.

"Honestly, I take it back; you're just like all the other guys here and everywhere else."

"I can't just tell her." I spluttered.

"Oh, why?" Judith asked looking impatient. "You were brave enough to sleep with me." ouch.

I glared at her, but then, she did have a point, annoyingly.

"That was different." I grumbled

"I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." she said look apologetic. "I know it's hard to tell someone you really like, just how much you like them. And I'm guessing it's just that much harder with her being your little sister's best friend. Oh and a princess too." She added as if she had actually forgotten that tiny detail, as if it didn't really matter at all.

"So what do you think I should do?" I asked again, "beside tell her I mean?"

"Do something special for her, maybe? Let her know that you like her just for her, not for the whole princess la de da thing."

"Well," I said a little hesitantly, "I have been working on this." I pulled out my personal thumb drive and slotted into the computer she was using and showed her the program I had been working on since Tuesday. It was no where near completion but I had been working my ass off on it and it was starting to look pretty good.

I heard Judith give a little gasp of delight when she looked at it.

"Oh wow, Michael." She breathed, grinning at me. "This is beautiful! She'll love it."

"You think?"

"Uh huh. Beauty and the Beast fan is she?"

"Yeah. She's a little obsessed with it, the stage show I mean. But I think that is because it's something that just her and her dad do together, so that's what makes it special…" I paused, "You don't think that'll make this weird, do you?"

"No, it shows that you really know her and understand her." Judith said encouragingly. She went back to admiring the screen.

"It still needs a bit of work." I admitted. She waved me off.

"I'd say its perfect now, but you're a perfectionist, even if you won't admit it." when she saw me start to object.

"When are you planning on showing this to her?" Judith asked.

"Winter Carnival." She raised her eyebrows at me.

"And how much more do you want to do with this?"

"Um, well I want to expand the garden, you know get all sorts of…"

"Roses?"

"Yeah, lots of them."

"Make sure to throw in some yellow." I looked at her weirdly.

"Yellow?"

"Yellow roses mean eternal love." I gagged, with her staring at me exasperatingly. "Just put them in, trust me. You should probably throw in some white, red obviously and pink roses in too."

"Aren't you going to tell me the meaning of those colours too?" I asked sarcastically even though I was taking her words to heart.

"No because your already throwing enough of hissy fit as it is." She teased.

"I am not!"

"Do you want me to give you a hand in making this?" she asked, but on seeing my hesitation she waved her hands out in front of her. "No, I mean, like help you with ideas and stuff. You can do all the programming and stuff, I just meant if you want, you can bounce ideas off me and stuff."

"Well," I said slowly, "you know more about this symbolism stuff than I do."

"That's because I actually pay attention in English."

"Then why are you only getting C+ in it?" I teased. She swatted my arm.

"Like you're one to talk, Mr. he who spends all his time at the back of the classroom playing on his laptop with Felix." She snorted back and I grinned at her.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure?" I asked as we locked up the lab.<p>

"Hmmm?"

"About helping me with, you know?"

"Of course I am."

"You sure?"

"Michael." She said stopping in the hallway, her hands on her hips. "I said that I would and I will. Plus I want to see the final product." She said with a grin.

"Judith." I said again, suddenly feeling cautious and worried. I could still see the pain in her eyes and knew that some of her happy front was forced.

"Are you, I mean," I looked down at my feet embarrassed. "are we ok? I mean…"

"Shhh," she said smiling up at me and I saw that it was real and not forced at all, "We're fine. Honestly. I mean, ok, I admit, I'm a little disappointed that, you know, you don't like me as much as I like you." I opened my mouth but she waved me off, "but that's actually ok. Because I think we, well, we're too much alike in a lot of ways and I think that would have stuffed up whatever it is we've got… now and I would really hate that."

"Same." I said, surprised by how much I meant that.

It was strange before this month I had found Judith to be the one of the most frustrating people on the face of the planet and yet over this past month, that's changed. I actually like being in her company.

"So, I don't know, could we, you know, be friends?" she asked. She actually looked a little scared as if she thought I'd rebuff her or something.

"What are we now? I though we already were." she beamed at me and I felt myself grin back at her, feeling this great weight lift up and off my shoulders.

"You're not going to throw in a Buffy reference, are you?" she asked as we left school grounds.

"Why not? We both like it."

"NO! This is supposed to be romantic! You can't throw Buffy in."

"Aw, come on, just a tiny reference."

"NO!"

"But…"

"I'll steal your thumb drive off you if you even dare!" She threaten, her eyes narrowed and I was pretty sure that she'd follow through with her threat. That's just the kind of person that she is.

"But…"

"NO!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Ok, yeah see I'm doing a totally different thing to how I've seen other people deal with the whole Judith matter. Throughout the books I never once thought of Judith as a slut as I know quite a few other fans have felt that she was.  
>Yeah, I admit, I did find her annoying but some people at times just are, its not their whole personality and the only parts of her personality that we see are all seen from Mia's POV who already took a disliking to her because she was close to Michael and so, we were only ever seeing the negative sides to Judith.<br>Judith I don't think was/is as bad as how she might have been read on the pages of Mia's diary (because again, this is Mia's diary we are seeing this from her POV, all the time) otherwise, I very much doubt, no matter how deep in the dumps he was, that Michael would have slept with her if she was, you know, a slut. It's not in his personality. He has more self-respect than that.  
>Personality I think the whole sleeping together occured simply because they were both down about their relationships; Michael's then non-existed one with Mia and Judith relationship with her boyfriend. They wanted comfort and they sorted that out from the closest person that they obviously could think of who was as miserable as they were. Well, that's my reasoning.<br>Also I've been in the situation that I put Judith in, in this chapter and fic. Likening a guy who you know you can never have really, really sucks! Sucks even more when you actually want to see him happy with the girl that he likes really, really badly. I've done this for a friend, helped him get with a girl even though I was quietly crying about it because I knew he didn't like me back, but I wanted him to be happy so badly. So I'm putting a lot of me into Judith's character at the moment.  
>And I personally think Michael needs a female best friend to help give him advise on how to deal with certain things with Mia and just be his friend in general, and I'm making that girl-best friend Judith. Don't kill me because I need her for plots that I have inside my head for the later books.<br>Ok, so enough with my rambling, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll try and update again as soon as possible.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I got another card today, which Judith rather triumphantly, "Aha," at.

"This doesn't prove anything." I grumbled at her, though I took more care with this card then I did with the previous one.

"Sure it does. Didn't you read it?" Judith said, looking exasperated as she stood by my locker, hands on her hips.

"Of course I read it." I said, starting to feel annoyed.

"Ok, so what did it say?" I felt my ears start to go read and I looked away.

"BOYS!" Judith said sounding even more exasperated, if the was even possible.

"Yes, you rang?" Felix said as he and Paul came to stand with us by my locker.

The two of them were getting more and more used to Judith hanging around with us. Felix hadn't been all that impressed at first but when he discovered that she was just as avid a Firefly fan as him… well, all annoyance he felt towards her evaporated almost immediately, so that now I have three people ganging up on me about the whole Mia thing, instead of just these two.

Wonderful, especially since Judith is almost determined to get me with Mia before she leaves for Genovia, which I have been reminding her repeatedly for the last twenty-four hours that her leaving is next week! Judith however isn't listening to reason.

"He got," Judith said jerking her thumb in my direction, "another card today and is refusing to believe who it is probably from?"

They both looked at her blankly causing her to give this rather amusing little shriek.

"Mia, obviously!" she snapped at us as if we were the biggest idiots in the whole world.

"Ah." The other two idiots said as one.

"How do you figure?" Felix asked.

Judith snatched the card from me.

"Hey!" I protested trying to snatch it back, but Felix grabbed it from her before I was able.

"_Roses__are__red,__but__cherries__are__redder,__maybe__she__can__clone__fruit__flies,__but__I__like__you__better_." He read, looking more than a little amused. "Aw, that's so cute! Makes you just want to go up and hug her."

"Stay the hell away from her." I muttered as I snatch the card back from him. It would be just my luck for Felix to unintentionally sweep Mia off her feet.

"See," Judith said as if her whole argument had just been proven, "it is clearly her."

The three of us just looked at her.

"How does this prove that it's her?" Paul asked meekly because Judith was death glaring at us.

"Because-because. Because it just does, trust me." we still looked at her sceptically.

"She knows I clone those bloody fruit flies." She growled.

"The whole bloody school knows you did that." Paul reminded her and she pouted.

"Am I honestly never going to live that down?"

"Nope." the three of us said as we headed for fourth period only to be told that we had an assembly instead.

Felix was thrilled.

"You do realise we're going to be stuck in the hall for an hour, right?" I pointed out as we walked for the assembly hall.

"Hey, beats work. And it's called sleeping, dude." I rolled my eyes at him.

"I guess this is because of the fire alarm yesterday, huh?" Judith said as we took our sits near the back of the hall.

"Probably," Paul replied," Wonder who pulled it?" the two of them immediately looked at Felix, who looked back at them with an annoyed expression.

"Hey! It wasn't me!" more sceptical looks.

"It wasn't! Do you honestly think I'd pull a fire alarm while there was weather like yesterday's going on?"

"Yes." The three of us said even though I knew it wasn't him who pulled it; it was just fun to get him on edge.

"Well, it wasn't! It was probably your sister," he said to me, "because of her walkout thingy. She lost her nerve to do it, so she made up an excuse for it to still happen."

"It wasn't her."

"How do you know?"

"Because I was the one who had to put up with the verbal abuse that she was dishing out towards the person who did pull it all of last night. Trust me, it wasn't her."

"So who do you think did it?" Felix asked. I looked at him with a smirk.

"You, of course." That put Felix in a bad mood for most of the day, if only because he couldn't actually claim credit for pulling the fire alarm, even though most of school thought it was he who had done it, (you know, due to the whole Foetal pig incident in the teachers lounge as well as the disappearing of items that were never named… funny that, last month. Anyway, Felix confessed to the crime a week later as well as returning most of the items that he "borrowed"… yeah, I had nothing to do with his sudden confession, I swear… cough.). But no one could actually prove that he had done it because no one remembered him leaving during any point during English. Also he was asleep when the alarm went off and took a full minute to wake him up. Trust me I know, Judith timed how long it took.

Anyway, my good mood that morning was because a) I got to tease Felix about a crime that for once he didn't actually commit, b) I actually know who really committed the crime that everyone else thinks Felix committed and c) I was starting to allow myself to hope, you know because of the cards, that maybe, just maybe, things were finally heading in my direction.

However all these good feelings disappeared completely when lunch rolled around and I heard that Kenny had taken Mia out for lunch. That information sent me back into the bad mood that I had been in for the past month.

"Oh god! It's just lunch," Felix groaned when he, Paul and Judith had finally tracked me down in one of the computer labs, trying; ok not particularly hard, to work on the computer club's booth game. "And if it makes you feel any better I saw them as they were leaving and he was more or less having to drag her out the door."

"Have you looked at the weather?" I asked, "It's pouring out there! Of course she didn't want to go out."

"Well, I guess that's could have been it too." Felix started before yelping, "Ow!" because both Paul and Judith had hit him at the same time.

"Come on," Paul said as he flopped into a computer chair beside me, "you can't get mopey every single time those two go out."

"Who says?" I grumbled.

"Well, at least be productive with your mopey-ness." Judith sighed, sounding completely exasperated.

"But I am being productive." I defended, waving a hand at the Computer Club game. If possible Judith looked even more annoyed at me.

Oh, it was just like old times. I wonder if she was going to peg a spare computer mouse at me like she did this one time in tenth grade.

"Not that type of productive. Actually, wait, yes, that type of productive," she looked suddenly excited, "just with the other one." I gave her a 'huh' look and she actually did smack me over the head. But only with her hand this time, not a mouse.

"What other one?" Paul asked looking confused.

I shot Judith a warning look, which she ignored completely.

"The other program that he's been creating for Mia."

"Oi!" I said feeling a little peeved even though I was pretty sure I wouldn't actually get teased for this. Strange looks maybe, but Paul and Felix just shrugged it off and asked how much had I done with it and what was the theme and so on. Paul asked more technical question like program I was creating it in, but Felix thump him in the arm.

"Like she cares." He snorted.

"She might." Paul snapped back. But he didn't ask anything more about it.

After quite a bit of prodding, I finally loaded up Mia's program and showed it to Paul and Felix, both of whom looked impressed instead of nauseated as I know they sometimes (Well, Felix) got with these types of things.

"Wow Mike, if this doesn't impress her and win her over, than she is seriously not worth your time." Felix said as he leant over my chair and stared at the computer screen. I tried to find the sarcasm in his words, but found none.

"Thanks." I said torn between laughing and still feeling slightly worried that she might not like it. And, Mia could never be not worth my time.

We spent so much time discussing my program for Mia that we lost track of time, it was well into fifth period before any of use took any notice of the clock.

"Not like it's a big thing or anything." Felix said as he stretched out in the computer chair. "It's only study hall after all."

In truth I wasn't so much bothered by the actual missing of the period but rather the missing of the one period were I could see Mia for a full hour. Yes, I know, I have it bad, moving on.

Anyway, we spent the rest of the period bouncing back and forth ideas for Mia's program and then figuring how to actually create the ideas that we all liked into the program.

"Just try not to make it too crowded, ok." Judith kept advising because some of our ideas were quite loud and outlandish. "You want to get straight to the point."

"Oh yeah, um, what is your point?" Paul asked. The three of us looked at him with a 'are you blind' look.

"No, what I mean is, how are you going to sell this? I mean are you just going to show this to her and be like 'yeah, this is for you, hope you like it' and bolt?" I pulled a face at him, "because that's sort of how it looks, you're not actually saying that you like her or anything in this."

"No, he just made her a whooping good program." Felix replied giving Paul a 'what are you on about' look.

"All I'm saying is, basically what you're doing is just giving her a really nice, really good program, but you're not fulfilling your intended goal, which is to tell her how you feel about her. Maybe because you're still having doubts?"

"God," I said groaning as I buried my face in my hands, "you sound just like my parents, you know?"

"Sorry, I'm just trying to help." Paul said looking a little sheepish.

"Are you still doubting that it's Mia writing the cards?" Judith asked, her head tilted to one side, her face concerned.

"Maybe a little." I said trying to sound casual and calm, while inside I really was a wreck.

"Which actually means a lot." Felix voiced for me. He was too far away from me to kick, so I just glared at him, tempted to peg my Trig book at him.

"Why not ask your sister?" I looked at Paul, trying to assess his sanity, which he seems to have misplaced today.

"And why would I do that?" I asked slowly.

"Because she also happens to be the princess's best friend." He replied in the same, slow, obvious voice.

"No, really?" I said sarcastically.

"Look, all I mean is she might know and…"

"And she is likely to tell me _because_?" this stopped Paul in his tracks and he made an 'ah' noise before saying that my point was taken.

"Guess it would be too blunt to just go up and ask her, huh?" Felix said.

"What?"

"You know you could just do it how Buffy explained to Giles. You know the whole, 'hey, I have thing, maybe you have a thing, maybe we could have a thing together?'"

"Wasn't there also Mexican involved?" Paul asked.

"See," Felix said waving a hand a Paul as if all my problems would be solved by Mexican, "there you go. You ask her how she feels about Mexican. The food, I mean. You take her out for food and then, and this is truly hardest part of all, you then pay for the food."

"Because you always forget?" Paul snorted.

"I have more important things on my mind at the end of the evening, like… OW!" with slightly watering eyes, Felix glared at Judith who was looking innocently back at him though I noticed there was a mouse missing from the computer she was currently sitting at. A quick scan and I saw it lying by Felix's chair.

"She's a vegetarian." I grumbled, "God, next you're all going to be telling me to take her to a football game and…"

"Be chased around by modern Frankenstein?" Felix finished for me with a grin.

Judith rolled her eyes at the three of us.

"You three need to get lives. Though not that I can talk, since probably the only thing I'm going to be remembered for here is as the girl who cloned fruit flies in her bedroom."

"Yeah," Felix said looking at her, "I've mean to ask you about that for awhile."

"Oh?" Judith asked, looking torn between curious and being wary.

"Yeah," he said, totally dead-pan, "How did you catch all those fruit flies? Was it with fruit or honey?" To say that we all fell out of our chairs would be highly exaggerating, but to say we came close, yeah that's pretty much closer to the truth.

"Um…" Judith started looking completely lost as to how to answer his question

Thankfully this was when the first bell for sixth period rang and we were all able to escape Felix.

"I don't know why you have so many doubts," Judith said as we walked for our sixth period classes. "I mean, it's kind of obvious?"

"It is?"

She rolled her eyes at me as she walked into World History as I continued on my way to Trig, when really I would have rather just stay back in the computer lab and continued working on Mia's program, in peace and quiet. I hadn't actually got all that much done on it with those three there, but they had helped getting me out of my hole that I had been thinking of burying myself in again.

* * *

><p>"Were you the one who pulled the fire alarm?"<p>

"And hello to you too, sunshine." I said as Lil came barging into my room that night.

She ignored me as she came to stand by my computer desk, glowing down at me, the only time that she can is when I'm sitting down and even then, there is only a few centimetre in it.

"Did you?"

"Did I what?" I was working on _Crackhead_ as well as Mia's program, which I had quickly closed the moment Lil came storming into my room.

"Pull the fire alarm?" She close to shrieked. Despite this causing my ears to ring, I couldn't help but grin. She wasn't even warm and the hilarious thing is, she'll probably never, ever guess who really did it.

"Now, why would I do a thing like that?" I asked, looking around at her with a grin.

"To piss me off maybe?" she snapped, "You know how important this walkout was…"

"To you, Lil. It was only important to you, no one else really cared." Lil scowled at me.

"Only because the student body lacks apathy! They've drain everything out of us, so that we are nothing better than mindless drones! It must be stopped!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Lil." I said turning back to my _Crackhead_ article.

I expected her to simply leave after that in a huff but she didn't, she just kept on standing there.

"Lil, what…"

"What's that." she interrupted me before suddenly leaning completely in front of me and snatching something up off the other side of my desk.

"What's what? Go away Lil!"

"_Roses __are __red,__violets __are __blue_," Without even thinking I lunged out of my chair and into her direction.

Annoyingly, I missed; Lil can be quite quick on her feet when she wants to be.

"_You __may __not __know __it, __but __someone __loves __you_." She darted for my door waving the first card I had received between her fingers, "Now why, oh why, did Tina send you a love poem?" that stopped me in my tracks.

"Wait, what?"

"Tina." Lil said sounding exasperated, "This is her handwriting."

"It is? Wait, why am I getting a card from her?"

"That's what I just asked you, you ass," Lil said rolling her eyes, "I mean, I honestly never pegged you for her type, you were always more…" she trailed off as she looked back at the card and then at me before back at again. I could see her lips re-reading the verses of the poem, a frown forming between her eyes.

"What?" I asked curiosity getting the better of me.

"What? Oh, nothing, it just," Lil actually looked a little weird as she eyed the card, "Tina sucks at writing poetry. I mean, she honestly sucks, which you know for someone who spends all her time reading romance novels, it rather surprising." She was talking more to herself than to me. Then she seemed to shake herself back into life as she, and this is weird, handed me back the card, "but anyway, I never would have pegged you as someone she would like." She said with a lame sort of shrug.

"Do you have any others?" she asked a frown still present between her eyes.

Not seeing anything to lose in showing her the other card, I handed that one to her, which she quickly read and then, annoyingly, she started laughing, sounding quite amused.

"Ok, you can hand it back now." I said crankily, waving my hand at her to hand it back to me.

"I'm sorry," she chuckled, as, once again, she handed the card back to me, "I just didn't realise how serious she was when she asked if you were going out with Gershner."

"Who? Tina?" I asked completely confused.

"No." she giggled shaking her head. She opened her mouth as if to say more but then the usual wicked glint of Lil returned to her eyes and I sighed. I knew that whatever Lil had worked out, she was going to keep to herself.

"Want to go talk to Tina about those," she pointed at the cards, "tomorrow?"

"Or you could just tell me now." She shook her head, still grinning.

"Nah, that would be too easy and," she gave one of her looks that had me sighing all over again, "too nice. Plus," she added with a shrug, "I'm not a hundred percent sure. I mean, she is almost as slow at figuring it out as you. Well, actually, she wasn't slow; I think she's known for awhile, she's just been slow on acting on it."

"Who are we talking about?" I knew who I hope she was talking about.

"You'll just have to find out tomorrow." Lil said with a wide grin as she skipped from my bedroom.

Sometimes I seriously hate my sister.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I'm so sorry for the lack of updates everyone, but you know, studying for exams and doing assignments, for if one doesn't do these things, *one doesn't have a hope acquiring one of those high-powered service positions at Starbucks that I know I'll be angling for upon graduation*  
>I've noticed that since I haven't been able to write many M&amp;M scenes, I've been falling back more and more heavily on writing scenes that involve Judith, Paul and Felix in them. You have no idea how much these three have been saving this fic. If it weren't for them, there would be no CracKing: Third Times the Charm. I am completely series, those three have seriously been saving this fic over and over again and I suspect that they will be continually to do so with the rest of this fic and if I continue on to write the rest of the books... 'does know whether to cry or not at the idea of writing the whole series from MM POV, will at least try to'.<br>But anyway, I see these three playing even bigger roles in the coming fics, if only because I'm stuck and I need to write something some fun, which these three certianly are.  
>I'm currently writing a chapter where it's basically just them and Michael and my god it's so much fun! They crack me up, lol.<br>I also can't wait to put Boris in this group because as weird as this might sound, he is actually one of my favourite back up characters in PD. After Lars, of course. I want to write more Michael/Boris scenes because they have a friendship which is again hinted at but never really explored because again this is Mia's diary and we only read what she writes.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I am not Joss Whedon, so of course do not own Buffy or any of the quotes or episode reference that occurred in this fic, thank you.  
>Anyway, Review! They are much loved and make my day and so on.<br>Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Well, its official, the Princess of Genovia is," Felix took a deep dramatic breath when he finally strolled into Gym this morning, "a juvenile delinquent!"

"What?" I dropped the basket ball that I had been half-heartedly dribbling for the past half-hour, bored out of my mind and not being allowed to read my book. I mean it was the second last week of term; couldn't we (meaning me, because I was the only male in class, beside Felix, who didn't actually want to be there!) be cut some slack during this period? Also I happened to be basically dead on my feet due to the fact that I didn't sleep a wink last night, thanks to my darling sister.

No, really, thanks Lil. Thanks for keeping me up all night because I know that she knows, more or less, who sent those cards to me and she won't flipping tell me! Ok, even though I have an idea… ok, rather a hope, as to who it might be sending me the cards. Which then had me flipping out even more, all night, because of the chance that it might be her!

"Yup." Felix said sounding way too cheerful.

"Why?" I demanded as I bent down and snatched the basketball up before it rolled too close to Richter and his cronies.

"No idea. I just saw her up at Gupta's office looking real guilty about something."

"That doesn't mean she's a juvenile delinquent! You go up to her office almost three times a week!" and not guilty for whatever he had done.

"Yeah, true, but I don't come out of her office suspended."

"WHAT?" I yelled. I was fully awake now! Mia, suspended? For what? Not for pulling the fire alarm on Wednesday?

I mean, firstly how did they find out it was her and secondly, would they seriously suspend someone for pulling a fire alarm… ah, actually they probably would, but it still begs the question of who found out and then ratted her out.

Or maybe it was because of something else…

* * *

><p>At lunch I went and hunted down Lil, more to ask her why Mia was suspended than, you know, because of the other thing because… yeah.<p>

Anyway, she was surprisingly pleased to see me.

"Oh good," she said as she saw me coming towards her, "Do you want to go find Tina and asked her about your secret admirer?" she was grinning, but it wasn't exactly a nasty grin more like she was amused in 'I know something you don't know' way.

"Did you know Mia was suspended?" I asked as Lil grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the caff and in the direction of the school library.

"Uh huh, which is why now is the perfect time to talk to Tina."

"Wait, you didn't get her…" I started wondering just how low my sister could go in her desire to know all about, well everything. As low as getting her best friend suspended so that she (and I) could talk to their mutual friend without interruption.

Lil snorted.

"Of course not, Mia's temper is what got her suspended." Mia's temper? Seriously?

I looked questioningly at the back of my sister's head wondering if we were talking about the same girl. Granted this same girl has changed quite a bit in the last couple of months, but I can't image Mia losing her temper enough to get her suspended.

"Lil…"

"TINA!" Lil called as we entered the Library.

A dark haired head suddenly appeared above, surprise, surprise, the romance section of the Library, looking at us with wide, innocent Bambi eyes.

"Lilly?" she asked in this soft sort of voice. She looked at me curiously but mostly just gave Lilly her questioning, Bambi gaze.

"Hey Tina," Lil said smiling innocently as she prepared to corner her pray. I saw Tina's bodyguard, Wahim, watch Lil carefully as she did this. So was Tina actually, she suddenly looked very wary, her eyes now flickering between Lil and me with rapid speed.

"We just wanted to ask you something."

Oh god!

"Um, ok." Tina said slowly. You could almost see the gears in her head turning at like super speed as her eyes kept darting around the library, looking for an escape.

"Ok, so a) are you sending particularly interesting messages to him?" Lil started, jerking her thumb back at me while I stood behind her, gagging. Straight to the point, why don'tcha, Lil? "And b) if so, are you sending them for yourself or," she was smiling particularly wickedly now, "for someone else?"

Tina's Bambi eyes somehow grew even wider and her already dark-ish cheeks grew even darker.

She stared down at her shoes with a determined expression, her lips compressed shut.

"Come on, Tina." Lil said smiling coaxingly at her. Tina shook her head.

"Please."

"I can't." Tina said, still not looking up from her shoes. "She'll kill me." she said this so softly that I wasn't exactly sure that that was what she actually said.

"No, she won't, she'll probably grumble at you for awhile, maybe, but kill you, Nah. Plus you've got a bodyguard."

Tina looked up from her feet with a frown.

"If you already know it's her than why are you asking me?"

"Because you just confirmed that it is her." Lilly said cheerfully.

Tina's eyes widen and started shaking her head fiercely.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"How?" Tina wailed.

"You wrote the notes." Lil said with a simple shrug of her shoulder, even though she had lost Tina, Wahim and me.

"So?" Tina asked, looking a little bewildered though I saw a tiny horrified glint of realisation start to form in her Bambi eyes.

"Who else but her would need someone else to write those notes? She knows that he knows what her handwriting looks like, so in hopes to keep him in the dark for whatever reason, she asked you to write the poems that she came up with. Which was another clue that the cards were from her and not you because you…"

"Am really dreadful at writing poetry? I know." Tina said with a small pout.

"Also he already knew who they were from he was just curious as to know why it was you who was writing them, so it's not like you've spilled the beans or anything." Lil was saying easily, while I was still thinking what the fuck she was on about now.

"Oh you do?" Tina said looking up at me in surprise, "what was it that gave it away that it was Mia? Or was it sort of intuition that it was her? That's kind of roman..." she trailed off as I started choking.

Oh god, everyone was freaking right! And I was just too freaking blind to see what was right in front of me for apparently YEARS!

"You said he knew!" I vaguely heard Tina wail.

"Well, maybe I should have said suspected, but whatever, he knows now." Lil said as she patted my back, well more like slapped it to get me, in her mind at least, breathing normally again. She was only knocking even more air out of me.

"But-but, Lilly that isn't fair! I mean, the whole point was to see if he likes her back and-and what if he doesn't!" You know, I'm standing right here. "That'll mess everything up! Oh, and-and you won't tease her will you?" Tina was now speaking to me, her Bambi eyes imploring.

I just shook my head because words were basically failing me.

She likes me back. She _loves_ me back!

This insane, goofy grin started spreading itself across my face.

"Yeah, I highly doubt the whole 'not liking her back' fear, Tina." I heard Lil say sounding surprisingly smug.

"You do?" Tina asked me cautiously, "You do like Mia back? Because she's liked you for awhile but she thought that," she gave this weak sort of shrug, "you know." She trailed off weakly.

I didn't and clearly neither did Lil as we both shook our heads at the same time.

"Well, you know, you're Lilly's older brother and Lilly is her best friend and she thought it might be, you know, weird. For Lilly and for you, so she kept quiet about it. And also she kinda thought that you only saw her as, you know, your little sister's best friend and that's all." She gave another helpless little shrug, "and she thought that you might get mad at her, for you know, crushing on your brother." she added to Lil who in return simply laughed, quite vocally.

"It's not funny Lilly." Tina said sounding desperate as she cast a nervous glance in the direction of the school's librarian, who was only staying behind her test and simply glaring at us because of Wahim presence.

"It's not, Lil." I said, having finally found my voice again.

I felt kind of weird though, like this great pressure had been lifted off of me. So apparently Mia had been worrying about basically the same things that I had been.

_She__loves__me_.

I felt my silly grin come back, ignoring the voice that was saying that I hadn't actually heard those words spoken from her mouth yet.

"Listen," I said to Tina who looked like she was about to have a nervous break down or something, "can you not tell Mia that you told me that it was her that was sending the cards? Because…" but she was already nodding her head in agreement before she said a quick goodbye and good luck in my direction before she (and of course Wahim) bolted from the library.

* * *

><p>"I told you." Lilly said as we left the library too, heading back to the caff to grab what little lunch we could.<p>

"What? No you didn't." I said back, even though I wasn't actually mad at her, I was way, way too happy to be mad at her or anyone else actually.

"I did too! I've been telling you for months to hurry up and do something about all this. It's your fault that you took so long."

"Fine, you hinted. Like you did with the cards."

"Technically I told you who they were from too." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Fine." I said, sighing, "you were right and I was wrong and…" I frowned at her, suddenly worrying, "this isn't weird for you, is it?"

Lil gave me one of her legendary looks and snorted.

"No. I mean, yes, it is weird, but I'm surprisingly ok with it. Granted," she gave me an exasperating, "You two did give me an anomaly long time to get used to the idea of it," she shook her head, "my three year older brother has a thing for my best friend, which she returns." I was grinning insanely all over again. "Please tell me that you're actually going to put this information to good use and you're not just going to sit on it for another year. I don't think I can handle another year of stolen, sideways looks and wistful sighs and… argh!" she threw up her hands in disgust.

"Don't worry, Lil, I am going to use this information."

"Like, now?" she asked, sounding almost hopeful.

"I can't."

"Why not?" Lil demanded, kicking me in the shins.

"Because she's with Kenny for one thing." That stopped her.

"Oh, right, Kenny." She said slowly. "Ok, fine, but make it soon, ok, because I'm telling you if I have to put up with another month of the pair of you moping over each other, I'm going to lock you both in the supply closet in the G&T room over a weekend or something."

"Thanks, Lil." I said with a snort.

* * *

><p>I was in a good mood for basically the rest of the day, which of course surprised Paul, Felix and Judith at this sudden turn around from my general mope-y self.<p>

"You seem happy about something." Judith said after school, during Computer Club after she had finished yelling at the rest of the club about being so bloody lazy with their designs for our Winter Carnival program, saying that their (the rest of the computer club) complaints that they've been too busy with exam studying is no excuse since they had suppose to have been working on their designs for the booth for at least two months now.

"Can't be because of the Princess." Paul said, "You know, what with her being suspended and all. Which," he looked between Judith and me, "does anyone know why?" Judith and I both shook our heads.

Actually it seemed, like with the fire alarm on Wednesday, no one seemed to know the full details of what had caused Mia's one day suspension, which considering her status as Princess, most things that happen to her are around the school in something like ten minutes. Three if it occurred at lunch time.

"Anyway," Paul said with a shrug, "why are you so happy?" he asked me.

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Yeah, ok, then what's with the goofy, happy smile that you've been wearing since lunch time?"

"What? I can't be happy?" I asked him with raised eyebrows, before frowning slightly, "and my smile is not goofy looking."

"Yeah, it kind of is." Paul said and Judith gave slight nod of her head. "It's kind of scary after, you know; months of just seeing you all doom and gloom."

"I was not." I just got deadpanned looks in return.

"Fine, maybe I was a little, but that doesn't mean I have to be interrogated by you two just because I'm smiling."

"An overly cheerful, goofy grin for, according to you, no apparent reason. Michael you never do anything for no apparent reason." Paul said. I opened my mouth to argue on that but found that yeah, in a way, he was disturbingly right.

"Also," Judith said as she looked at my face with a searching, suspicious gaze, "he said hi to Kenny."

"So?" I asked.

"You haven't said hi to Kenny all month." Judith said crossing her arms across her chest. "Or anything else to him, actually. You've just been blatantly ignoring him. That or glowering at him when you think he's not look, which you know, he has noticed and he's more than a little freaked out by you."

"Good." I said without thinking, causing Judith to smack me over the back of the head.

"Scaring freshman, bad!" she said sounding thoroughly fed up with me.

"So why the sudden change in attitude?" Paul demanded, his arms crossing against his chest too.

"Look, I'm just happy ok? Must you guys rain on my parade?" I asked and I saw a bit of guilt forming in Judith dark eyes.

"You're right. We're sorry."

"Wait," Paul said looking wildly at her, "we are? I thought we were supposed to be squeezing him dry for information this afternoon?"

"Look," I said quickly before the two of them could work themselves up into a dispute of this, "I'm just happy. I will tell both of you and Felix the reason why I'm happy when I've find out…" I trailed off there.

"Find out?"

"If what is making me so happy at the moment is actually completely and utterly true." That left them completely baffled.

"I don't understand you at all." Paul said as he got up from his computer chair and wander over to a couple of freshman who were playing WOW online.

"Is it because of Mia?" Judith asked after awhile. I glanced at her and gave her a quick grin which, of course, caused her to give this excited little squeal.

"I haven't even told you anything yet and you're already bouncing up and down in your seat." I said with a snort and she calmed down a little.

"I'm sorry, I'm just, you know, happy for you."

"Again I haven't even told you what it is yet." I said laughing.

"I know, and honestly you don't have to because it's your business, but obviously it something good because I don't think I can remember seeing you look so happy. Well," she paused for a moment thinking, "actually I have," she amended, "at _Rocky __Horror_ show. She was like the only thing you looked at, like all night." She gave her head a shake, "I am such an idiot."

I rolled my eyes at her.

"Are you ever going to stop beating yourself up over that?" I asked in a hushed voice. She gave me one of those grins that said 'nope' and I sighed.

"How are things going with Kevin?" I asked changing the subject, sort of.

"Oh, they're not." She said with a shrug and went back to staring at her computer screen, but it was obvious that she wasn't seeing anything, plus there were tears forming in her eyes.

"Jude." I said gently, leaning forward in my chair so as to block her more or less from the rest of the clubs view.

"I don't know what to do, Michael." She whispered back, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I've tried everything to just get things back to the way they were. To try and figure out we're we went wrong, what I had done wrong…"

"Judith." I interrupted her, "you have done nothing wrong, ok." She gave me a look.

"Ok, beside that. But you only did that because of what he did."

"Doesn't stop it from being wrong, it just lowered me to his level."

"Thanks,"

"You know what I mean." She gave a little sob. "I was just so angry with him. I mean, I work so hard for everything in my life, including being with him and then he…" she shook her head, more tears rolling.

"And do you know what's worse?" I shook my head, "he doesn't think he's done anything wrong? He said it was my own fault, because I wouldn't sleep with him, you know, like every single day. He said that he was tired of having to take cold showers all the time because of me, so he went and found someone who he wouldn't have to." She rubbed her face with her hands. "Why do relationships have to become all about sex? I mean, we used to have so much fun and then it just became all about sex, sex, sex." She shook her head, sniffing. "It shouldn't be and yet, somehow that what it just seems to come down to."

"I don't think all relationships end up like that." I said softly, gently.

"Yours had better not." She growled at me warningly. I blinked at her in surprise.

"Huh?"

"I will seriously hurt you if you start pressuring her into having sex with you." She threatened, while I gagged.

"Judith! I'm not even with her"… yet. "Trust me; having sex with her, at the moment, is far, far from my mind. Plus, Jude, she's only fourteen! I could go to prison for just thinking the 'S' word in regards to her!" or have my arms and legs broken by Lars.

"Good, keep thinking like that! Because seriously, I will hurt you." She gave deep sigh then, "Look, what I mean is, just be patient ok. Sex is a bit more complicated for girls than it is for guys."

"Honestly, Jude," I said interrupting her because seriously, I could not talk about the possibility of my sleeping with Mia with her. It was too weird! It was almost like talking to Lil about it, except not quite so bad… "Sex, at the moment and I think for a long time coming, is one of the furthest things on my mind. I wasn't even thinking about it until you went and brought it up."

"Yeah, I know," she said with another sigh, "that's what makes you so much better than most guys around. Sex isn't the first and only thought going on in your head. Just promise me you won't let it become, you know, that way."

"I promise." I said feeling embarrassed yet at the same time I felt I kind of owed it to Judith in someway. Plus I didn't want to become one of those guys who thought only about Sex, it just – and I don't. I just don't want to be like that.

"So what are you going to do?" I asked her as we started to pack up for home.

"About?" she asked dully.

"Kevin?" she shook her head.

"I don't know. I've done everything that I can think to do…"

"Besides the obvious thing." quoting what she had said to be just a couple of days earlier.

"Dump his sorry ass." Her eyes grew a little wider and she started to shake her head, but I stopped her.

"Jude, he treated you like crap and honestly, even from what you told me before all this shit started happening, he still doesn't sound like he's worth your time. You could do so much better than him."

"Oh yeah," she gave me a somewhat deadpan expression. She always gets on the defensive whenever I tell her to dump Kevin. "Who?"

I glanced up just to see if he was looking over at us, which he was, though he went bright red and looked away as soon as he noticed my amused, knowing grin.

"I don't know. Paul?"

"Oh yes," Judith said huffily, "of course Paul, now why didn't I think of that," she then paused and looked around at me with wide, questioning eyes, "Paul?"

"Uh huh." And I left it at that, with Judith gapping at me, though I did notice her a couple of times glance in Paul's direction with confused but also slightly amazed look on her face. I couldn't help but grin as I worked.

Ha, now this proved that I wasn't the only person blind around here.

* * *

><p>Why do I keep getting this 'last person to know' feeling. I mean, I've been getting this feeling on and off for the last couple of months and it is always in regards of one person.<p>

Mia.

It's not a nice feeling, especially when it is in regard to her. I don't want to be the last person to know stuff about her. I want to be the first.

I'm sick of Lilly smirking her 'I know something you don't know' like she's been doing all of tonight, because she knows that I don't know the details of Mia's suspension, which she has now obviously learnt and is for some reason very smug and acting like it was all her doing. Which has me again slightly worried about just how Lil will go to get her own way, but anyway, she won't tell me what it is, what Mia did to get herself suspended today.

So giving up on her and trying to get her to tell me, I decided to just bite the bullet and go and get the whole story from the Primary source. Though I admit my heart was a little bit in my throat when I saw that she online.

I had been deliriously happy all day from finding out that the cards were in fact from her and that I now knew that she liked me, maybe, if not just as much, as I liked her. Maybe…

But now that it's come to actually talking to her, I had no idea what to say.

I had so much to say, but I couldn't because she didn't know that I knew that she was the one who had been sending me the cards. And I'm not quite that desperate (or cruel) to just come out and tell her that I know it's her. That wouldn't go down well with her, plus it would probably embarrass her half to death if I did that, since I'm pretty sure the whole reason behind her sending the cards are more that she's testing the waters, like I had been doing in September and October before I started trying to give up on her again, before she built up the courage to tell me herself. Why didn't think of doing something like that?

Though I did send that get well card way back in October that said _Love,__Michael_ at the end of it. I mean, how many guys does she know put that at the end of a get well card?

Actually, don't answer that because I honestly don't want to know. She could be getting letters from Buckingham palace with Love, Harry on the bottom of them by now for all I know.

Just bite the bullet Moscovitz!

Be calm and casual and go from there.

_**CracKing:**_ Hey, Thermopolis, – Hey, Thermopolis? I'm trying to be calm and casual and I'm back to calling her Thermopolis? Though, in a weird sort of way, it's become something like my nickname for her. No one else calls her Thermopolis, only me, so in a way, it makes it unique. – What's this I hear about you getting suspended?

Her reply came almost straight away.

_**FtLouie:**_ Just for one day.

Thank god!

_**CracKing:**_ What'd you do?

_**FtLouie:**_ Crushed a cheerleader's mobile phone.

My mouth dropped. Of all the things I had thought that she had done, that hadn't been one of them! I had honestly thought that she had been ratted out somehow about the fire alarm incident on Wednesday, though Lil wouldn't have been so smug about this if it had been that, I reasoned. But seriously! She crushed a cheerleader's mobile!

That's my girl. And what's the bet it was Weinberger's phone that was crushed?

Grinning, I typed back.

_**CracKing:**_ Your parents must be so proud.

Or at least Helen Thermopolis would be.

_**FtLouie:**_ If so, they've done a pretty good job of disguising it so far.

Did this mean she was grounded? Please, no.

_**CracKing:**_ So, are you grounded?

Please, no.

_**FtLouie:**_ Surprisingly, no. – thank god! – I told them the attack on the phone was provoked.

I wanted to ask her what had actually caused her to kill the phone. I mean, it must have been something big for her to take the life of innocent piece of technology. But I refrained from doing so, promising myself that I'd ask her later, I just had to make sure of something first.

_**CracKing:**_ So you'll still be going to the Carnival next week?

_**FtLouie:**_ As secretary to the Students Against the corporation of Albert Einstein High School, - Honestly Lil, come up with shorter names for your crazy schemes, would you? Though you had to admire Mia's ability to remember the _whole_ title of Lil's new committee against AEHS… and ok, worry a little too, - I believe my attendance is required. Your sister is planning for us to have a booth.

Of course she is. I'd love to see her actually go through with her plan, since that's how far its honestly going to get, a plan. No way is Gupta going to allow her to set up a booth that will be encouraging AEHS students to turn against their teachers and school board. Not that I actually see that happening either. I mean come on, yeah we complain about our teachers and the homework, and the fact that it is still mandatory to do PE and so on, but that's as far as we get, complaining and whining. No one is ever going to rally together because of it.

_**CracKing:**_ That Lilly. She's always looking out for the good of mankind.

_**FtLouie:**_ That's one way of putting it.

I wanted to go back and ask her what exactly Weinberger had done to warrant Mia's attack on her phone, but wasn't able to due to her suddenly sending me a quick bye before she logged off.

I stretch my arms above my head, sighing.

_She loves you._

A smile crept across my face and before I knew it I was grinning like an idiot.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry, I am so sorry for taking so long to update. Study for exams and doing assessments are brutal! Anyway here is a nice long chapter that will hopefully stop all of you from killing me for a couple more days.  
>Bye for now!<p> 


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Hey Everyone. Guess what I finished a few days ago, hehe, yeah, when I should have been studying, but I was stuck and my brain just wasn't functioning in the right way for studying, however, it was for writing, so yes, I have finished writing this fic. YAY! It was surprising easy to write the last couple of chapter for this fic, I was, to put it simply, on a roll, so it's now DONE! And I am so happy because there were a few moments when I was actually worried that I wouldn't finish this fic, but I did, so yay.  
>Anyway, this chapter is basically my own, with a few references to what is happening in Mia's world, but otherwise it is purely all mine. As I've said before, when I think I'm starting to get writer's block, I throw in a Judith, Paul, Felix scene and volia, the chapter seems to write itself. I also find writine MichaelLil scenes a lot of fun too, I wish there were more in the series.  
>Anyway, I'll shut up and let you all read.<br>**Disclaimer:** Any references that are made to any films, books, or TV series, they all belong to their creators and so on.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

Ok, so whatever good mood I was in last night was more or less killed this morning when Lil basically kicked me out of bed.

"GET UP!" she shrieked as she pulled all my covers off my bed before she hopped on to it and started kicking the small of my back.

In my sleepy desperateness to get away from the violence that was being inflicted on to my back I rolled, only I rolled a little too far and proceeded to dump myself off my bed and on to my floor. Which at least is carpeted, but still, being dumped out of bed at eight o'clock on a Saturday when you were in an extremely deep sleep is not a nice way to wake up. And I'm a bad enough morning person as it is without being woken up like that!

Honestly I don't know how Lil and I are related to our parents (don't know how I'm related to her either but that's a completely different matter entirely.), they get up, voluntarily at six o'clock every morning.

The only time I've ever known them to sleep in, is generally because they haven't gotten home from whatever conference or function they've gone to, until like three o'clock in the morning.

Lil and I? If we could, we wouldn't get up until like ten, eleven o'clock in the morning, minimum. And even then we'd still probably be cranky. Morning people, we are not.

The only thing that has helped make me the tiniest bit of a morning person, or at least stop me from being an ass, is coffee.

But since Lilly wasn't offering me any coffee after she was done kicking me out of bed, I proceeded to rip her head off.

"What the hell is your problem?" I yelled at her as I staggered to my feet.

I was quite disorientated from the sudden and painful wake up call that I actually had to sit down on my computer chair to try and stop the world from spinning.

"I need you out!"

"What?" I growled at her as I rubbed the various sore parts of my body caused from my sudden tumble out of bed and her cruel feet.

"I need you out!"

"This is my room! Its you, who needs to get out!" I snapped at her.

"Of the house! I need you out of the house!" She snapped back at me.

"Why the hell? I have finals to study for." Not to mention I needed to work on Mia's program.

"So do that at the library."

"Why can't I just do it here? What? You need the whole house all to yourself for some new mad scheme of yours?"

"Yes. And it's not mad, its justice!"

"What? Why do you need the whole house, to yourself, for justice? What justice? Since you have clearly got no sense of it?"

"I do so!"

"So what do you call kicking me out the bed then?"

"Justified because I need you out of the house!"

"WHY?"

"Because I'm holding the first meeting of SACAEHS here and I don't want you around, being a nuisance!"

"What am I? Five?" I said snapped back at her hot temperedly only to be splashed in the face with proverbial cold water.

"Mia's going to be there and the last thing I need is for you to be distracting her from this very important meeting. In other words, I want you gone before you can start verbally sexually harassing her… and possibly physically too." she shot me a warning look while I gagged.

"I thought you were fine with the idea of me and her being together?" I yelped at her.

"I am but that doesn't mean I want to watch you two being sickening together! Because you know, you two defiantly will be, once you get together."

I wasn't sure whether to be offend by this or pleased. I decided to go with neither for the moment, if only because it reminded me yet again that I wasn't with her… yet, so I couldn't find out whether or not we were 'sickening together'.

"Look, get out of my room, will you?" I said to her, as I stood up and stretched out to my full height so that my fingers now brushed my ceiling, much to Lil's disgust.

"Do you promise to leave well before my meeting starts?" she asked with narrowed eyes, but she was at least making to leave my room, though maybe because I was threatening to pull off my shirt if she didn't hurry up and clear off already.

"Fine Lil. When does it start?" She was almost out the door when I asked this.

"Twelve." I had my shirt half way off when she said that. I stared at her for moment before pulling my shirt off completely and pegged it at her head, causing her to squeal.

"You little…" I started only be yelled at by Dad, from where he was in the kitchen, for the both of us to shut up already, we were bothering the neighbours.

In annoyance and giving her look that spoke that I would get my revenge I slammed my door in her face, though not before she had pegged my shirt back at me, though she missed me entirely. Lil's eye/hand coordination is nowhere near as advanced as her eye/foot… Thank god!

Grumbling murderously in the direction of my sister, I got dressed because the thing about me, once I'm awake, I'm awake, there is absolutely no chance of going back to sleep for me after such a rude awakening.

That little… I swear, even after all the "help" she was yesterday; I swear I was going to make her pay for this, somehow.

* * *

><p>"Is it still illegal kill ones sister?" I asked grouchily as I stalked into the kitchen for breakfast. Lilly gave me an 'oh, please' look but I did notice that she ate her breakfast rather quickly before bolting for her room the moment I sat down at the table.<p>

Neither of the parental unit were very sympathetic to my cause, but then, I think they've gotten quite sick of Lilly and me of later.

What with Lil being on another one of her "crusades" which make her, who is already a hard enough person to live with, even more so. And me who has been in just a bad mood for the better part of this year.

I think they're quite looking forward to dumping us at Grandma's and Pop's for the winter break while they go off to some exotic island in the Caribbean's.

"Well, I'm off." I said once I had finished my bowl of cereal and put it in the dishwasher.

"Lilly's kicked you out of the house too, did she?" Mom asked. She hadn't heard Lil and my roar earlier due to being in the shower at the time.

"Yup."I said as I kiss her cheek goodbye.

"Alright, be safe and try to get some study done won't you?" Mom said.

"Of course Mom." I smiled cheekily back at her causing her to roll her eyes.

"I mean it Michael James Moscovitz. You're not always going to be able to pluck the information right out of your head forever, you know. One day you're going to have to sit down and study hard for the information to get in there and stay in there! Trust me when I say that learning to the skills of studying now is much better than having to learn them while trying to keep your head above the mountain load of work that will be hurtling your way in college."

"I know, Mom." I said more to sooth her than anything else.

She simply huffed again.

"Honestly, I swear you are too smart for your own good. It'll be your downfall if you're not careful."

"Yes, Mom."

"It will! Yours and Lilly's."

"Don't let Lil hear you say that, she'll see it as an act of rebellion against her lording over this house."

"Michael, be serious."

"I am! She will! You know, she will. That and you know how much she hates being linked with me in any way, shape or form."

Mom sighed, shaking her head.

"I will study, Mom. Promise. If anything, Judith will make sure that I do." Though why she did when I was already beating her in tests as it was, but I guess she has the same sort of philosophy as Mom.

Mom nodded though she didn't look overly convinced but she let me go all the same.

* * *

><p>I met up with Judith, Paul and Felix (who had been dragged along by Paul, since they live quite close to each other) outside the AEHS, where we spent most of the morning and some of the afternoon. Judith somehow got us special permission to be there, saying that we'd be working on Computer Clubs Winter Carnival program.<p>

I would like to say that Judith and I got heaps done on it… we didn't. I would like to say that instead of working on the program we spent the time studying diligently… well, we did study like we did work on the program, we just didn't do very much of either, that's all.

I tried reading my chemistry book, but I went crossed eyed after ten minutes from boredom because I just knew everything that was in it.

But in saying that, I did help the others a bit with their study. Not so much Paul, but Judith and Felix, once we sort of settled ourselves down into study mode. The two of them would ask him and me questions about this and that. It worked quite well, some of the time. Except for the times ( and this was most of the time actually), when we were trying to answer their questions, we'd say something that would either remind them (or us) of some movie or book or TV series and yeah, study session became debate session on whether or not the latest Star Wars movies were a betrayal of original movie saga (and books series of episodes seven, eight and nine, which yes I have read) and so on.

"Ok, well that's enough studying for one day." Felix said stretching.

"What studying?" Judith asked. She was actually starting to look a little panicky as she stared at all her books that she had brought with us to school. "We've spent the last hour talking about Firefly!"

"A far more productive use of our time, I think, personally." Felix replied.

Judith got this look upon her face that meant that Felix was going to get his head beaten in, and soon.

"Let's go get some lunch and see how we feel after that." Paul said trying to keep the peace.

I personally thought that that was the best idea anyone had come up with all day and promptly started packing up my things.

We were half way to Number One Noodle Son, when Felix suddenly pulled up short in front of a newsstand.

"Felix, what are you doing?" I asked because seriously the guy honestly doesn't give a damn about the rest of the world, so why he was looking at the Newspaper section of the stand made no sense at all.

Made even less sense when he actually brought himself a _Sunday__Times_ newspaper.

Open mouthed, the three of us watched as he came back over to where we stood, a amused grin playing on his mouth as he flick vigorously threw the paper.

"Felix, what are you…" I tried again but was cut off when he made a 'ha Ha!' sound and was suddenly shoving several pages of the _Sunday__Times_ at me.

"What…" I trailed off as I looked down the supplement in my hands and gagged.

"She's actually kind of hot when she's dresses up." Felix teased.

Without looking up from the supplement, I punched him, hard, in the shoulder.

"OW!"

But I ignored him as I continued to stare, in mild disbelieve at the paper before me.

_Fashion__Fit__for__a__Princess_, with twelve pictures of her beneath it and on the following pages. She was going to hate this when she finally saw it.

Not that I actually saw anything particularly wrong with it, because as Felix had stated, she did look hot, but this just wasn't something that she did.

She wasn't even looking into the camera, which made me pretty sure that while she had probably known that the pictures were being taken, she hadn't known what was going to happen to them, later on. Like being put into a Newspaper. Otherwise, these pictures, yeah, they wouldn't be in here, which would be a shame because I wouldn't be seeing them now.

I mean, I've always thought of her as being pretty, sort of like an inner beauty that shines out through the rest of the materialistic beauty that is so common today. But here, in these pictures her inner beauty just stands out, for the rest of the world to see.

I'm not sure if I'm happy about that or not.

I made to hand the supplement back to Felix, even though I really didn't want to, but he just laughed and hit me over the back of my head.

"I got it for you, you idiot!" he laughed, shaking his head at me. "Special moron!"

I blinked at him for a moment, before I smiled.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Maybe this," he lightly flicked the supplement, "will encourage you to hurry up a little more."

"She's not going to like it." I said as we continued walking.

"Having her picture in the paper?" Judith asked from where she was walking beside Paul pulling him out of the way of incoming traffic, both automobiles and people, and stopping him from walking into poles because he was too absorbed in the newspaper that he had snagged from Felix to pay any attention to where he was going.

"Yup."

"But think of all the money she'll be getting for this." Felix said cheerfully.

I just rolled my eyes at him.

"Not that she'll be able to access it. She is only fourteen, after all." Judith pointed out. Like I need reminding, thanks Jude.

Felix simply shrugged.

Anyway, they soon forgot all about the supplement when we reached Number One Noodle Son, where the smell of food overrode all other sense but hunger.

Not that it really mattered, lunch was still fun and filled the void in our stomachs, by the time we finally left Number One Noodle Son it was almost four.

"Well, I'm going to head home. See if Lil will let me back in the house." I received only mildly puzzled looks at that. All three of them knew; quite well by now, to expect strange and eccentric things when it came to anything involving my sister.

"What terrible thing did you do this time, so as for her to deny you entrance into your own home?" Felix asked, amused, as he usually was, to hear another tale of Lil being bizarre.

"I didn't want to get out of bed, so she kicked me out and said I could only come back until after her "meeting" was well finished."

"When you say she kicked you out, you mean." Felix said looking even more amused. He knew full well just how brutal my sister can be. The other two eyes started to widen slightly.

"She kicked me out," I said nodding, "literally. I swear that kid is going to be the death of me one day." Me or Mia.

I cringed a little at thought. If there was anyone who had suffered Lilly's kicks as much as I had, it was Mia.

"Sometimes I think your sister needs to be put on medication, like serious duty medication." Felix said and to the others, it probably sounded like more teasing on his part but to me, I could hear the annoyance behind his words.

Felix isn't an overly huge fan of Lil's. Oh yeah, he likes to keep tabs on her mad schemes because he finds them amusing, but besides that, he doesn't like her very much at all. Though this is probably because she once gave him a black eye... with her foot. Yeah, Lil's kicks, you never want to be on the receiving end.

"Only sometimes?" was my only reply and he shrugged.

I said bye to the three of them before heading off in the direction of home, where surprise, surprise, Lil actually let me but that was because she and Boris were saying their goodbyes. Only there weren't any words involved, if you get my meaning.

Yeah, I was disturbed too.

I slide past them and through the front door as fast as humanly possible. I was tempted to close it and then lock it behind me, but… the bruises on my back were seriously starting to ache.

After saying a quick hello to Maya in the kitchen, I headed for my room with a bowl of cereal in hand and Pavlov bounding around my feet.

He was in a good mood, which I found a tad odd because usually after a large group of people have been in the house, I usually have to hunt him down because he's gone and hidden himself, sometimes in some truly improbable place, like wedged himself under a cabinet or some small little place that he later can't get out of. But at the moment he was happily prancing around my feet and looking overall quite happy with himself.

"You've been throwing yourself all over Mia haven't you?" I said, eyeing him with narrowed eyes.

I know it's stupid to get of jealous of your own dog, but seriously, he gets more affection from Mia in five minutes then I have in like five years!

I mean, it's been years since I've actually gotten even a hug from her that she wasn't embarrassed about later on. And she was quite a hugging (and also huggable) kid once upon a time, but I think Lil killed that when she was going through her 'this was her space around her body and she'd hit anyone who dared entered it' phase.

Mia got hit quite a few times before she finally got the message, and she stopped hugging Lilly to save herself from more bruises, only problem was, is that she stopped hugging everyone (except of course, for her cat and Pavlov) else too.

And I admit I'm not huge fan of public display of affection but I hadn't minded the hello/goodbye hugs she used to give me whenever she saw me, even when I had stopped hanging out with her and Lil so much, she still gave them to me along with this big, bright smile that seems to have taken vacations along with all her hugs at the moment.

I sat down at my computer and pulled out the supplement from where I had carefully stashed into my bag and looked over the pictures of her again.

She was so pretty and she honestly seemed to have no idea that she was. Even in these pictures you can see she isn't sure of herself.

I shake my head slightly, sighing.

"What's with you?"

"Ah, done with giving the impression of an octopus, are you?" I got a wack over the head for that as Lil came to stand next to me.

"Oh, you've seen them too huh?" she said tapping the paper in my hand.

"Yeah," I paused for a moment, "she isn't happy about this, is she?"

"If you mean by the hurry that she left after Mom showed her the paper, I would say no, no she isn't."

"Don't know why, she looks good." I said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but she's thinks that everyone is going to be thinking that she's sold out now and that she is no longer interested in the environment and Green Peace, that she'll now spend all her time thinking about clothes and fashion and whatever."

"That's silly." I said, even though I had feeling that was exactly what people were going to think.

Lil shrugged.

"I'm going to go over there in a bit." She said.

"Be nice to her." I warned her to which she scowled back at me.

"I'm always nice to her."

"Fine, but just try to make her happy ok, don't go off being all logical or whatever you do that usually just ends up upsetting her. Just be her best friend and support her. I think she's going to get a hard time for this one." Actually I was pretty sure she was going to get a very hard time because of this supplement.

"You think?" Lilly asked looking a little startled.

"Think of how everyone at school reacted after that interview she gave in October. How you reacted." She pulled a face at that, "This," I said holding up the supplement; "I think will get everyone on her back again, and possibly even worse than last time. So be nice."

"Fine." She huffed and made to leave my room, but then paused in my doorway, a wicked smirk on her face.

"Are you going to put that under your pillow?" she teased nodding at the supplement. I grabbed one of the pillows on my bed and made to throw it at her. She grinned even wider.

"You are aren't you?" she giggled maliciously.

I threw my pillow and it hit her square in the face.

"Hey!" She yelled and hurled it back at me, only I was able to catch it before it impaled my face.

"Ass!" she snapped at me.

"You started this." I reminded her.

She pulled a face at me.

"Remind me again, why I am helping you get with my best friend again?"

"Because you're sick of us moping over each other." I replied a little too gleefully and she groaned.

"Fine. Just hurry up will you. And you better not, you know…"

"Do an octopus impression?" I answered, only trying to be helpful only she didn't seem to think it was helpful at all.

"We were not!" She yelled at me, her face bright red.

"You were too! You had the suction noise and everything!" I snorted. "Honestly Lil, where did you learn to kiss?"

She opened her mouth as if to answer but I was already blocking my ears.

"On second thought, I honestly don't want to know." Because I suddenly had an idea who it was who had taught Lil how to kiss and I was mortally disturbed by the thought.

"I could tell you," she said starting to smile evilly at me, "if you really want me too."

"And I really don't want you too."

"Pity, because it's a really good story…"

"LIL! I don't want to know. Really, I don't."

"You are such an easy mark." She giggled.

"Yeah, well least I didn't learn to make out from an octopus!"

"I did not!"

"Yeah, yeah." I snorted and she made to leave again.

"Hey, Lil!"

"What?"

"Richter and Weinberger are not a good example to follow when you're trying to learn how to kiss, ok? Just go with what you and he feel is right for the both of you, not what you think is universally right." Lilly scowled at me, her face once more red but she didn't say anything in reply and simply stalked out of my room, slamming my door behind her.

"Well that went well, huh?" I said to Pavlov, sighing again.

I checked yet again online to see if Mia had come on. She hadn't so I sent her an email instead, jokingly asking her whether or not she was thinking of abdicating her throne.

Anyway, every hour or so, I continually checked if she had come online, worrying more and more when she didn't.

I sent her three jokes, computer jokes, which as soon as I sent them, I was banging my head against my desk asking myself why the hell! I mean, like she cares for the joke about there being ten types of people in the world, those who know binary and those who don't. I mean, like she knows that in binary '10' means '2'.

I can count on one hand how many people I know personally know the answer to that. The answer being that there are two types of people in the world.

She has better things to do then spend all her time online, the logical part of my mind scolded.

At one point, I think around eight in the evening, I thought I saw her come online but as soon as I checked properly, she had gone offline again, if she had even come online to begin with, that is.

I sighed heavily when eleven o'clock rolled around and she hadn't come online.

With one final check to just see, to just see if she had possibly come online without my notice, I signed out.

Lilly had said that Mia had been quite upset by the supplement, as well as feeling quite betrayed due to the whole fact that the supplement had been created was because of her Grandmother.

"Apparently her grandmother did it to help build Mia's self-confidence and her self-image and crap like that." Lil had said with a shrug while my mouth had simply dropped. This was how Mia's grandmother thought to help her? By putting photos of her, without, apparently, either of Mia's parents' permission, in the _Sunday__Times_? Yeah, I'm sure that helped her a lot…not.

Again, I sighed as I turned off my computer before I flopped on to my bed and tried to get some sleep, hopefully not to be kicked out of it in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed writing it because I got to explore a little more of Michael's world in it and the relationship that he has with some the little known about characters that are in the PD series.  
>So yeah, hope you liked and I will try to update with Chapter Eight soon.<br>Now I just need to get over these next two weeks and then I can start writing book 4. People are still interested in reading book 4 from his POV still, right? Either way, I'll probably still end up writing, I find writing for Michael quite relaxing, so I'm going to keep on doing it until I run out of PD books and out of fanfic ideas.


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** I would love to give you this chapter along with the news that all my exams are over, only I can't. My somewhat lazy Network B teacher decided that he didn't feel like going through our practical with us, to see if we'd done everthign right and if we had past. I mean, I know it was a big practical; setting up DHCP, DNS, User accounts, setting user account permissions with batch files using the CACLS command, which by the way, I hate doing batch files, I hate creating scripts because one tiny, insy, winsy mistack can stuff up your whole server, and your workstation if you have one connected, which I did for this exam. Bloody permissions, just bloody work, damn you! Don't know why we couldn't have just set them the normal way, would have save an hell of amount of time and I wouldn't have had to create scripts! anyway, the least he could have done was go over mine so that I wouldn't have to go in next week!  
>Anyway, two more chapters to go before this fic ends, done done dah. I can't wait, I think I've been so stress these last few weeks that its been reflecting in my writing. I want to go back or go forward with light-hearted M&amp;M moments, when I'm going to get to write with book 4! YES! Plus added scenes that I throw in because I can.<br>Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and I will update with chapter 9 very soon. Possibly even tomorrow depending on how things are going.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

Sunday I spent again with Jude, Paul and Felix. Again we didn't do all that much study, but we had a good time all up.

Monday was how I had feared it would be. Almost the moment we got out of the Limo, the comments just started flying at Mia.

Some were about her crushing of Weinberger's phone and her suspension, but most were about her appearance in the supplement in the _New__York__Times_ over the weekend. Almost all the comments were negative and some were even quite harsh.

I think, Lars, Lil and I spent the whole way up the school's front steps death glaring all the people who were yelling offensive things in Mia's direction.

At one particular comment, I noticed Lars flash his Glock in the offender's direction, which shut him up almost immediately and had him bolting for the upstairs stairwell as fast as he possibly could.

The whole time, I wanted to say something supportive and encourage to her, but as you all know, I am such a great man of words, that all I actually managed to say to her, and this is the only flipping thing I managed to say to her all flipping day, mind you, was that her combat boots were untied.

Of all the freaking things I could have said, it was that!

I certainly deserved the smacks over the back of the head from both Lars and Lil when Mia shot down to do her boots laces up.

"Thanks." She mumbled red in face and with an expression that clearly asked whether or not she could just be shot already before she darted off for her homeroom, Lars following close after her, though not before he smacked me over the back of the head once more, just for good measures while Lil rolled her eyes at me in disgust.

"You're shoes are untied?'" she quoted back at me in disgust. "My god, you really are a man of great words aren't you?"

"Shut up…I know, ok." I growled in frustration, running a hand through my thick hair, looking after Mia's bolting figure with wistful eyes.

"You've only got a week left, you know, before she leaves for Genovia…"

"I know, Lil." I said again before stomping off for my homeroom. Which I was completely dreading.

A whole day spent in homeroom, besides lunch obviously, is pretty bad due to the fact that none of my friends are in my homeroom. But what really makes a whole day spent in homeroom really, really bad is; guess who is in my homeroom?

Yup, Richter! And almost all of his cronies too!

I ask you, how is that fair?

I've only ever, in the past four years of being a student at this school, been in a homeroom that one of my friends has been in there with me, once! In four years, I've only ever shared a homeroom with Felix once!

Josh, on the other hand, has been with his friends every single, freaking year! And don't give me the whole; he just has more friends than you crap, because there are quite a number of guys in my year who hate him just as much as I do. And they haven't had to put up with being stuck in the same homeroom as him for the past four years!

It's simply favouritism… or something like that.

Anyway, the moment I walked in there, he and his cronies were already there, annoyingly, and were all discussing, of course, Mia's appearance in the paper.

"Hey Moscovitz!"

Just ignore him, just ignore him! I thought over and over as I flopped down in my chair in the middle of the room, since we were meant to sit in alphabetical order, otherwise I'd be up the back, though how long this is actually going to last, I mean, Ritcher and his group were already going against the order.

"Moscovitz?" I groaned as he came to stand by my desk.

"What?" I asked with a long suffering sigh, "you're talking to me again? But I was so enjoying the fact that you weren't! Don't stop now."

He ignored my comment and asked, "So what do you think about your girlfriend selling out?"

"I hardly think having her picture in the Times is selling out." I replied with a roll of my eyes, even though I know my ears were turning red from his 'girlfriend' comment.

"So what? You don't think this is the beginning of the end of whatever it is that you two have going on?" Ritcher asked snorting.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" because I honestly didn't.

Ritcher snorted at me and rolled his eyes.

"Well, at least she looks hot for once, but then again," he started to laugh in a sort of nasty way, "you never know what they did with the computers to make her look like…"

SMACK!

* * *

><p>I think my parents are right; I do have some unresolved anger issues when it comes to Josh Richter. I mean, there are people that I dislike at school or just around, but I don't go around hitting them! I'm not even rude to them, generally. But Richter… ok, the desire to punch the living daylights out of him, repeatedly, is still a reasonably new thing but all the other emotions of dislike that I have towards him, they're years old. Like freshman year!<p>

But it's Mia who brought out my feeling of hate towards him, his treatment of her at the Cultural Diversity dance, the comments he makes in her direction every so often as a few examples.

I just can't help but feel this overwhelming desire to hit him. Most of the time I can fight it, but sometimes I slip up… and ok, so I've only slipped up once before this. But still…

"I can't believe you hit him… again!" Judith was ranting at me when I came out of Gupta's office; she was up doing some photocopying of practise exams.

"Yeah, well," I said as I rubbed the back of my head, watching Richter stalk past me with a slightly swollen chin from where I had hit him from my sitting position.

"Are you suspended?" Judith asked worriedly.

"Huh? Ah, nope, actually she let me off." Judith's eyes went slightly bug-like at that.

"It's the end of term and she can't be bothered to do the paper work." I explained and received a dead-panned look.

"Fine," I sighed, "I have to set up all the new computers and printers that come in next year."

"That's it?"

"Do you want me to be suspended?" I asked her teasingly.

"No," she replied crankily, "of course not! I'm just surprised, that's all. I mean, you know, you hit him and he's just, you know, shrugging it off? That's doesn't sound like Josh Richter to me." I shrugged, not really caring.

"Maybe he's in the Christmas spirit." I said sarcastically.

"The ghost of Christmas past visited him?"

"More like the ghost who comes from the future, you know the one that looks kind of like a Sith Lord?" Another dead-panned look.

"You mean the ghost of Christmas yet to come?"

"That's the one!"

"You're unbelievable!" Judith said as she shook her head in disgust at me.

"See you at lunch, hopeless one." She said with a wave as she went back into her homeroom and I head for mine.

Richter was there, with an icepack pressed to his chin, but he and his friends completely ignored me as I re-entered the room.

My homeroom teacher simply rolled his eyes at me, but said nothing, like he had done when I had hit Richter, maybe because he had been grinning too hard to speak at the time.

I took my seat again and tried to study, getting more done than I thought I would. On Mia's program I mean.

I swear, I did do some study for my finals, but Mia's program is sort of more important, you know. Plus I'm already in to Columbia, thank you early decision, so you know, not getting the best marks for these finals, not really such a big problem.

Plus it might get Judith and Richter off my back if they actually beat me for once, though they'd probably guess that I hadn't actually been trying with these finals and probably end up getting even more pissed off at me. Especially Judith.

Oh, well, they'll get over it.

Right, damn… Paul was right about the fact that my point isn't exactly coming across.

I mean, yeah my program looks pretty cool and it is pretty much saying 'yeah, I think you're a really swell person and I like you a lot', but not the message that was the whole reason behind making this program.

To tell her how I feel about her, which is that I love her. But how do I do that? How?

_Roses are red, violets are blue…_

My eyes widen as an idea occurred to me.

Oh, that's how.

With a grin, I got to work.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you hit Ritcher… again." Felix said as we sat in the caff at lunch.<p>

I shot an annoyed look at Judith who looked mildly sheepishly back at me. She and Felix share the same homeroom, so I should have suspected that she'd inform him of my punching of Richter. Speaking of which.

"I didn't hit him," I replied calmly as I bit into a burger. I received three pairs of dead-panned expressions, "I punched him." I corrected them.

Judith and Paul rolled their eyes at me, while Felix laughed.

"This isn't funny, Felix." Judith said angrily to Felix. "Michael was very lucky not to be suspended for it."

"Not to mention Josh deciding that he's not going to try and get back at you for punching him." Paul said to me

"Probably because he knows what Michael can dish back at him." Felix snorted with amusement.

I grinned but out of the corner of my eye I notice that Judith was frowning. Not at us, but down into her lap.

"Judith?" I started but she shook her head and I notice her slid her mobile back into her bag and that afterwards, she kept looking in its direction with a nervous expression for the rest of lunch.

"Jude," I touch her arm as we made our way back for our homerooms, "Are you ok?"

She looked up at me, a sad look in her eye. She shook her head.

"I got text." She mumbled, "from…"

"Kevin?" I guessed and she nodded again, miserably.

"He wants to talk, after school, today." She rubbed her nose vigorously.

My eyes widen in alarm.

"You're not going to meet him are you?" I asked and she sniffed, ducking her head down so that her hair hid her face.

"Jude!"

"Michael, how can I not? I mean, I can't just leave things the way they are with him."

"You can't?"

"Of course, I can't! I mean, if things went badly between you and Mia," I opened my mouth to argue, but she shook her head, "if things went badly between you two, would you just leave it? Would you just walk away? Would you be able to just walk away? No, you wouldn't. You couldn't! Even if you couldn't solve whatever went wrong between the two of you, you would still try to make things right with her, so as to not leave any ill feelings between you. You would still try to keep her by your side. Just as I want to keep him, maybe not to be his girlfriend anymore, but I don't want to lose him entirely. Just like you wouldn't want to lose her. Can you kinda understand where I'm rambling with this?" she asked and I gave a slight sigh before nodding.

"I guess." I said, "But I still don't like it." I looked at her. "Are you going to take him back, if that's what he wants?"

She snorted sadly.

"I doubt that is what he wants, but no, I wouldn't." she sniffed again and her shoulders started to shake as this small raged sob passed her lips.

Without even thinking, or hesitating as I would have maybe a week ago, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her close as she sobbed.

"It hurts," She whispered, "so bad."

"I know," I mumbled back, "I know it does." Of course the pain that I had felt in my chest was of course different to hers, but I still understood it and how much it could break you apart.

"Do you want us to wait for you? Or meet you somewhere after you're done, you know?" I asked as I walked her to her homeroom once she had calmed down enough to think she could face it. I had discreetly texted Felix to keep an eye on her for the rest of the day.

"Honestly, Michael, you don't…"

"Where are you meet him?"

"Outside, on the front steps." She admitted, looking if possible even more depressed.

"Then we'll wait for you." I said calmly, just as Felix stuck his head out of their homeroom door, his face curious, though it quickly turned to concern when he saw Jude's face.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked as we came to stand by the door.

I looked at Jude and she nodded.

"I'll explain inside." She muttered softly at Felix before she gave me a weak smile as she dragged Felix into homeroom with her.

Sighing heavily I head back to my own.

* * *

><p>It isn't exactly what you would call fun, waiting for someone who you know is either about to be dumped or will be dumping the person herself, but what else can you do? You can't just leave them! And oddly Paul and Felix agreed with me.<p>

Well, maybe not so odd for Paul because he has something of thing for Judith, but for Felix… well actually, I think he likes her more than he's actually letting on.

I fought back a groan.

The last thing we need is for those two to start fighting over her.

Trust me, the last time the two of them fought over a girl, it wasn't pretty, silent treatment reigned for almost four months.

I glanced between the two of them, torn between worrying over the situation while also being rather amused by it.

I mean, Paul has liked Jude for a while, something I had the joy of discovering almost exactly the day after Jude and I had slept together. Yeah that was a comfortable discovery for me… not! And Felix?

I'm not overly sure when he started to actually treat Jude as a human being; it was a slow process, but something that is now completely obvious.

I mean, only a few weeks ago, he wouldn't have given a damn about her or her problems with Kevin, but now… it was hard to keep him from going out there and down the steps and beating Kevin into a cream of wheat… as tempting as that is for both Paul and me to do too, but I had already hit Richter today and Paul is tall, but he's basically a beanpole.

However, luck was on my side for once, because just as Paul and I were starting to worry that we might seriously have to think about physically stopping Felix from going down and picking a fight with Kevin, Judith came back up the steps and into the entrance hall to where we were all waiting for her.

"Hey," I said as I moved to stand from where I had originally been leaning upon a wall, moving to come stand in front of her, "You ok?"

Her face had surprisingly determined look to it, though her eyes were slightly red but they were clear.

She shrugged.

"I'm ok." She said, sighing. I raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed again, "I dumped him. Well, we dumped each other, but I just got in first." She gave her shoulders another shrug.

"We've decided to try and remain friends though." She said with an optimistic smile, that had me rolling my eyes, Paul nodding his head in understanding for wanting to try, while Felix was shaking his head, but neither of them said anything, which is probably a blessing, because despite her brave front, she looked close to tears again.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" I asked, after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Actually," Judith said with a thoughtful frown, "I am rather hungry."

"Same." Felix said as he stretched his arms above his head.

"Number One Noodle Son?" Paul suggested as we leave AEHS grounds. We all agreed on that and headed in that direction.

"You sure that you'll be ok?" I asked Judith as the other two went ahead to grab a table. She gave me a sad sort of smile.

"No, not for a while at least, but I will be." She smiled a little more warmly as she gave me a friendly push because obviously I was being too concerned for her liking.

"I'll be fine, Michael, honestly, you just worry about getting yourself with the Princess before she leaves for Genovia this weekend."

"She's still with Kenny." I pointed out because everyone seemed to be continually forgetting that tiny detail, a detail that I couldn't forget even if I tried, which I have! But it's is still stuck inside my head, like this nagging, pinching feeling.

Judith simply gave another shrug of her shoulders, before hurrying up to catch up to the other two.

Sighing heavily I chased after them.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Yes, yes, I had Michael hit Josh again.  
>I needed to vent, and when I need to vent Michael tends to hit people or something like that. I just felt like making him hit, oh wait, sorry, punch Josh, because I think he should have, along with turning JP into a Cream of Wheat in book 10, but that's just me.<br>Um, as you could all see this chapter really was purely fanfiction, again. I swear, it honestly was the only way to write this book, to continually throw in scenes like these into or this fic would have ended something like three chapters ago, so yeah. In saying that, this fic is going to end in something like five chapters. It has thirteen chapters all up.  
>I know, my fics seem to be getting shorter, lol. Book 10, could be like one chapter long. No, I'm not that mean... God, the very thought of writing book 10... actually getting up to book 10... yeah, not thinking about that.<br>Oh FYI, I've started writing book 4 (like it's like 6 pages or something now, lol, just haven't had the time to write with all the studying and assignments.). I'm really looking forward to writing book 4 because, finally, some real M&M scenes, which as you all know, I've been dying to write since I started writing this series, so YAY!  
>Anyway, thanks for reading, you know how much I love reading your reviews. They honestly make my day, so yeah, please review and I will try and update again tomorrow!<p> 


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

For the rest of the week, that is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, finals filled every aspect of our day, either we were doing them or studying for them. Or you could be like me and instead of studying you spent the rest of the time that you're not doing finals working on Mia's program, which by Thursday night it was done and I was insanely happy with it. I think it's the best thing that I've ever created.

Leaning back into my computer chair I looked over my creation, feeling pretty proud of myself.

I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in." I called as I saved Mia's finished program.

"Oi," I looked around from my screen to where Lil was standing in my doorway.

"Hey Lil, what's up?" I asked curiously, giving her my full attention.

I admit that I've been a bit worried about her these past three days, especially since she had come pretty close to having something near to a nervous breakdown on Monday night. It had taken about an hour to calm her down again before Dad had sat her down and had gone over with her everything that she was to expect in her first tests on Tuesday. After about hour and half of doing that she was completely calm once more and fairly confident about her upcoming tests.

She appeared to be fine after that, but still, that didn't stop the parental unit and me from keeping an eye on her, just to make sure that she really was ok.

"Mia is on the TV." Lil said as she jerked her head for me to follow her.

"What for?" I asked, a little cautiously, as I got up from my chair and followed her out to the den. Lil just shrugged as she flopped on to the couch, though there was a knowing smile touching her lips, while I went to lean up against one of the den's walls.

"Wow." I said after Mia had spoken her piece about the photos of her appearing in all those different dress in the _Sunday__Times_ and that she was going to donate all the proceeding of sales to Greenpeace.

She sounded so confident, quite unlike her first interview with Beverly Bellerieve in October where she had been stumbling over her feet and with an expression that she wouldn't have been there even if you have paid her over a million dollar to do it.

She did stutter a few times still and she still spoke a little too fast, but otherwise, she was really, really good.

"Pretty good, huh?" Lil said, looking pretty smug with herself.

I looked at her and felt a light bulb click on above my head.

"You helped her do this, didn't you?" I asked curiously. "This was what you were doing yesterday afternoon, right?"

Lil nodded, rolling her eyes.

"Of course. And who do you think helped her write what she was going to say?" Lil said, sounding proud.

"Nice job!" she eyed me suspiciously.

I rolled my eyes back at her.

"I mean it, Lil. Nice work!"

"Thanks." She actually smiled at me.

"Hey?"

"Hmmm? What, Lil?" I came to stop just as I made to leave the den.

"Just a question, and don't get all defensive or anything, but have you been investing in yellow roses lately? Like in the last week?"

"Huh?" I asked bewildered, "Why?"

Lil shrugged.

"No reason. Was just wondering."

"You were just wondering if I was investing in yellow roses all of a sudden? Why?"

She hopped off the couch and walked past me.

"Why Lil?"

"Nothing, but," she gave a shrug, "someone's been putting yellow roses in Mia's locker and we don't know who it is."

"Kenny?" I suggested half-heartedly, but Lil shook her head.

"Nope, we've check, like multiple times, so you know; you were the next logical option."

"Right." I said slowly, starting to worry that I had yet enough person who I was going to fight against for Mia.

"Look, stop looking so worried. She likes you, you moron!" which actually did make me feel a lot better, even though, she did end it on an insulting note.

"Actually, they're probably from her Secret Snowflake." Lil added thoughtfully.

I gave her a weird look.

"Her secret what?" Lil gave me a deadpanned look and asked;

"Just how many years have you been going to AEHS now? Honestly, you have no school spirit what so ever!"

"I'm just not interested in doing those types of things." I defended myself in annoyance.

"Obviously. Anyway, the flowers are probably because of that. She's just over-rationalising things, like usual."

"Why? What's she over-rationalising?"

"Oh, she's just worrying over the fact that she's going to have to spend yet another dance sitting by herself at a table because yet again no one has asked her." That got my attention. Wait, what? That made absolutely no sense. I mean, hello, Kenny, her boyfriend! He was supposed to ask her to these types of things. It was kind of in his job description as her boyfriend.

"What about Kenny?" Lil simply shrugged.

"He hasn't asked her."

"Why?"

"How should I know?" Lil asked impatiently.

"Because you proclaim, frequently, that you know everything." I grumbled back at her and glared back at me before heading for her room.

Sighing heavily, I headed back for mine, to wait for dinner to called.

If Kenny hadn't asked her to the Non-Denominational Winter Dance (which yes, I admit I had forgotten about its existence. In my defence, I had more important things on my mind, would you say?), why couldn't I? Ask her, I mean.

If he hasn't asked her to the dance, then I should be allowed to, right?

It is only fair… in a roundabout sort of way.

I lay back on my bed, my stomach churning with nerves. Tomorrow was the day; the day that I gave Mia the program that I had made for her, the day when she found out my true feelings for her, as well as the rest of the school.'

Groaning, I threw my arm over my face.

My nerves were almost overwhelming me, but I couldn't back out now. I mean, not after all the work that everyone, including myself and Mia, had put in to try and get Mia and me together… if we got together.

My stomach did another nervous flip.

God, what if everyone was wrong. What if I just ended up making a fool of myself tomorrow, while also completely embarrassing Mia in front of the whole freaking school, ruining our whole friendship, all over again, but this time we might never be able to fix it!

I don't know if I could deal with that, I don't know if I could lose her like that. It was hard enough losing her to Kenny, but if I lost her because of this…

I dread to think.

Please, please…

_Roses are red _

_Violets are blue_

_You may not know it_

_But someone loves you_

_And I love you too_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Short and slightly boring chapter, sorry about that.  
>I'm on to writing the second chapter of book 4, which I'm calling <strong>Set Forth LinuxRulz<strong>, so yes this is the last book of the CracKing Trilogy, which I'm quite impressed with because I honestly never thought I would finish this Trilogy and be starting book 4, which will be by itself, because it's going to be the only book with LinxRulz in its title. The rest of the series, I think, though I'm pretty sure, will have SkinnerBx something or other. Which brings me to a favour I need to ask all my readers. I have book 5 title all sorted out but I'm completely stuck on what to call the rest.  
>Do you want me to try and keep with the number theme and if so could you all possible give me some number theme quotes that could then be turned into title names for the later books (Keeping in mind that SkinnerBx has to somehow fit into them) and then we'll have a vote when we get up to that book (or before) which title we all like.<br>Or would you all rather that I drop the title number theme at five and just start giving the rest of the fics "normal" title names?  
>You guys choose what you want and then let me know, ok?<p> 


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

I swear, could they be any slower? Seriously? How hard is it to hand out our final semester grades?

I fidgeted in my chair, glancing down at my watch almost every minute (probably closer to every thirty seconds), desperate to be released from this hell hole that is known as homeroom.

I wanted to get out in time to ask Mia what she had gotten as her end of semester mark for Algebra before I had to head for the gym to help the rest of the Computer Club set up our booth. Even though I hadn't done much to help with her algebra in the last few weeks, I still cared to know what her final mark is.

"Moscovitz, Michael." I walked up to the front of the room and took my end of semester report, giving it only a brief glance over. It's sad, isn't it, the fact that I was actually hoping to get a grade below 85%. English is the only one that's close, and that's only because it is 85%.

I shook my head.

I know I should be pleased and proud that I get such good marks, but I've always gotten good marks. Maybe what bugs me is the fact that I don't actually work for these good marks, I just get them, while people like Mia (and Judith) work every hour of every day and they only get something like C+ for all their efforts.

I gave my head another shake.

At least now we're allowed to leave, finally!

As soon as I was out of my homeroom I was bolting down the hall for Mia's locker. I almost didn't see her because of Justin Baxendale, who was standing right in front of her, blocking her from view, along with Weinberger who was obviously waiting for Richter.

As if I didn't have enough reason to dislike Baxendale, but I could see Mia eying him with a look that seemed reluctant.

What had he done to her? And why the heck couldn't he have stayed at Trinity?

I noticed then a yellow rose was sticking out of Mia's locker… wait, what? Was Baxendale Mia's Secret… No flipping way. He's probably there for…

"Dude!" Baxendale called, causing Mia to jump, as he looked over both Mia's and Weinberger's heads to where Richter was coming down the opposite end of the hall. As he moved forward to talk to Richter, he accidently, or purposefully, knocked the yellow rose that had been sticking out of Mia's locker, along with the note attached to it.

I watched it fall to the ground with sickening feeling in my gut. Though it didn't stop me from going over and picking it up.

"Dude, I've been looking for you all week," I could hear Baxendale complain to Richter, though I was concentrating on the look of realisation and relief (yeah, relief) that had appeared on Mia's face as she looked back and forth between the two of them, while Weinberger was simply in ga-ga state. "Do you have those Trig notes for me or not? I've got to make-up the Final in one hour." Aw, too bad. Though you do have to wonder why he didn't just ask Paul for his notes, due to the fact the two of them, supposedly, are actually best of friends, though looking at them you would never guess and most of the time, they don't let on.

Josh grumbles something about being busy, but I was paying even less attention to him and Baxendale, due to the fact that Mia had turned to make for her locker, only for her to stop again, eyes wide and sort disbelieving as she looked in my direction. Or rather, I realised and then cursed myself mentally, that she was actually looking at me!

I heard a small chuckle of amusement from the direction of Lars, immediately alerting me that we, Mia and me, probably looked like a pair of morons, as we were just standing in the hall, staring at each other and not doing anything else. Well, Mia was sort of gaping at me and her eyes were looking from my face to the rose in my hand.

Wait, don't yellow roses have some sort special significance? I rattled my brains, before remembering something that Judith had told me last week when she was trying to convince me to put yellow roses into my program for Mia. Yellow roses mean everlasting love.

I felt suddenly embarrassed, not so much because I was caught holding the rose, but because I was going to have to tell her that the rose wasn't from me, which annoyed me way, way more than it should have.

Clearing my throat, I said, "Here." And held out the rose to her, "This just fell out of your locker."

She took the rose gently from my fingers, looking a little dejected and apprehensive as she opened the card that was attached to the rose.

Her face then turned completely bemused as she read the note, then she looked all disappointed again.

How can someone change their facial expression so fast? I can't keep up with her!

Deciding it would be best to step back in safer, more neutral territory, I change the subject away from the rose, even though I was dying to know who it (and the rest of them) was from.

So as she opened her locker, I asked, "Well? What's the verdict?"

She looked away from the content of her locker to me, with a blank expression, which I guess is understandable because I hadn't actually made it clear exactly what I was talking about and it had been ages since we had actually had an Algebra study session, so her chances of actually figuring out that I was talking about that, were actually fairly slim.

"What did you get in Algebra?" I asked, being a bit clearer with what I was actually trying to ask her about. She still looked a bit down, though about what I wasn't sure.

She looked a little startled and I think for the first time actually took notices of her printout containing her final grades.

She opened it sort of cautiously, like she was expecting the worse, which had me holding my breath too and starting to mentally curse myself for being such a selfish jerk and not helping her more with her study and… then she start to grin. And not any type of grin, it was a grin that spoke volumes of surprise, delight and overwhelming joy.

And then she tackled me.

No, I'm completely serious about this.

One minute she was grinning this huge grin that I'm pretty sure I haven't seen since Halloween and the next, her arms were around my neck and her making this "Wheeee!" sound that I haven't heard her do in years, but what used to mean she was really, really happy. Which, of course, made me really, really happy and as an extra plus, I got hug! Finally! After how many years?

It felt good, right, to have her there, in my arms. Even more right than dancing with her.

Hugging her felt all the more natural and as corny as I know this will sound, I never wanted to let her go. But of course we had to, I mean, there were people everywhere and I also happen to notice of the top of her head, Kenny's retreating form heading back down the corridor. That made me feel a little bad, though I felt worst when she let me go, still grinning happily, saying thank you over and over again.

I felt my ears going red because of her thanks, which I by no means deserve, since I had been ignoring her for more than a month and had helped very little with getting her this grade.

"Listen," I said after about five minutes of her repeatedly thanking me, "I've got to go and help the Computer Club set up, ok." She nodded, still grinning which had me grinning back, "Come around to our booth ok."

"To see the program that you all created?" She said as she nodded her head again, looking curious.

"Yup. It's pretty cool." I said, even though my stomach was doing cartwheels now.

She smiled.

"Ok, I will, defiantly." She said, sounding happier than I've heard her in ages.

"Ok, cool, I'll see you there then." I grinned at her again as I lightly flicked the paper where her grades were printed. "That's a really good mark, you should be really proud of yourself."

"I am." She said brightly, "tha…" but I shook my head.

"Nah, don't thank me." I said quickly as I felt my ears starting to go all red again, "Seriously, you were the one who did all the work for that mark, all I did was make you write in one book and instead of every book you had on hand."

"No, you did more…"

"Nope, I didn't. That mark" I said as I flicked the paper again, "is all because of you. Honestly, I didn't do much."

She looked as if she was about to argue the point further and as much as I'd like to have stayed around and battled it out over her Algebra mark, I annoyingly had to go.

"I'll see you at the booth then."

"Yup," she said once more cheerful, "see you there."

And with a great deal of effort on my part, I left her and headed for the Gym hall, though not before I saw, as I was leaving her side, Lars leaning against the opposite wall, quietly laughing his head off. I swear, we're like free entertainment for him!

On my way to the hall, I ran into Lil who was pouting over the paper that held all her final semester grades.

I quickly snatched it from her, as well as dodging her responding kick to the shins before my mouth dropped.

"You got an F?" I stared down at her in disbelief, "for English?"

She glowered up at me.

"This isn't because of your silly term paper being turned down is it?" I asked her with slightly narrowed eyes.

Lil simply pulled yet another face at me.

"LIL! That is so stupid!" I growled at her in annoyance.

She snatched her grades back off me.

"It's no big deal." She said, sounding surprisingly calm as she shoved her grades into her bag.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked.

"I got A's for everything else. So what's the big problem?"

"Um, maybe because the whole reason that you got an F for English was purely because you were too stubborn to simply change your term paper to something a little more appropriate."

She scowled up at me for that.

"So I should stop doing things that I believe in, simply so that I can get better grades?" she demanded hotly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that we were starting to gather a small audience.

"No, I'm not saying that." I sighed. I could feel a headache coming on, which I so did not need right then, "I'm just saying that there are times when you should just concede that others do not see things your way on a particular topic, that you shouldn't stubbornly hold on to your views and risk everything else that you worked so hard for. You were doing really well in English this term, but now because of the fit you threw over your term paper being rejected; all that hard work has now gone to waste." She didn't like that and she showed my shin just how much she didn't.

"Kicking me isn't going to change the mark." I said as I moved to safe distance away from her. She simply glared at me before stalking into the hall, with me rolling my eyes to the heavens after her.

* * *

><p>"Where have you been?" Judith near screamed at me when I finally reached our booth, almost half an hour later than I said I would.<p>

"Jude, breath." I said as moved to help one of the younger kids with setting up one of the computers that Paul, Felix and me had brought to the hall yesterday afternoon. "We still have plenty of time." Jude clearly didn't think so because even though she was barking out orders left, right and centre, she actually looked close to tears.

"But there's still so much to do!" She said panicking, "And it doesn't help that everyone is showing up after the original arranged meeting time," she gave me a very dark look, "or simply not showing up at all!" I got another dark look though it took me a little while to figure out why I had received that one, it was only when one of the younger kids asked where Kenny was, did I actually click that he wasn't actually there.

"Don't look at me like that." I said, feeling defensive when I notice that both Jude and Paul were giving me searching looks, "I didn't do anything to him." Though he might be sulking over the fact that he did just see his girlfriend hugging and being hugged by, another guy. Ok, so maybe it was, in a roundabout way, my fault that he wasn't there.

"Want me to go look for him?" I asked sighing.

Maybe I could convince him it was simply a friendly hug or something, though I doubt even he would believe that, since it lasted a lot longer than normal, friendly hugs should.

"No time." Paul said shaking his head because the hall doors had opened and the Winter Carnival had begun.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Hehehe, Don't you all just hate me for ending it there?  
>Sorry about that, but my reason for cutting it here and not going on with the Winter Carnival, is because I simply wanted to dedicate a whole chapter to the 'Winter Carnival Event' without any other distraction before or after it, so you all can simply focus on that one event.<p> 


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

It's an extremely odd feeling to be both desperate to get a person over to where you are, sit them down in front a computer that has been set up just for them and, for better or worse, let them know your feelings for them. While at the same time being desperate for them to simply stay over there, on the other side of the hall and to not even venture anywhere near your booth, so you don't have to ever find out the better or worse scenarios.

"Do you want me to just grab her and bring her over?" Felix offered. He was lounging behind our booth, eating some popcorn and looking bored out of his brains.

"NO!" I said just as Paul and Judith both yelled "YES!" which got them receiving some very strange looks from the kids sitting at the computers and waiting in line.

"Just get it over and done with already. What's the worse that could happen?" Felix asked.

"She could hate me." I replied, feeling once more sick in the gut at the thought.

I heard several disbelieving snorts, but ignored them, as I was once more scanning over the huge crowed milling around the hall, looking for her. Not that she's hard to find with Lars trailing after her with a expression that was just begging for him to be shot already.

Though Mia seemed to be wearing a similar expression, which is weird because she was all happy not two hours ago. And am I just being paranoid, or does she seemed to purposefully avoiding this booth?

"Five more minutes and I'm grabbing her." I heard Felix mutter to Paul and Judith who gave their mumbled blessing to that plan. I shot them all warning looks, which they ignored.

I think they've gotten quite sick of my indecision on when and if I was going to tell Mia my feelings for her or not. They just wanted it out of the way already, for better or worse.

Thankfully or maybe not thankfully, Felix didn't need to carry out his plan because someone else was already doing it for him.

Tina was more or less dragging Mia through the crowd for the line for our booth. Our computer program was surprisingly (or not surprisingly) quite popular with the student body of AEHS, so the line leading up to our booth was quite long and impressive. Which meant it would take an age for Mia to get up here, which could be a good thing because then there would be less people around or…

"Ouch!"

Felix had thrown a spare mouse at my head.

"Just call her up." He growled at me in frustration.

"I can't do that, Jude will kill me!" Even though our booth was a great success, Jude was close to biting someone's head off with the stress of it all.

"I'll deal with Jude; you just deal with getting together with the Princess." Felix replied calmly and with a small groan, I looked back down the line to where Tina and Mia had joined it and called, "Come on up!"

As she and Tina (and Lars) made their way up the line, much to the grumbles of all the other kids in it (Who Lars promptly shut up with giving them all a slight glimpse of his Glock), the gnawing, terrified feeling that I was going to die from fear that this could all go very, very terribly wrong, was almost perfectly echoed in Mia's face.

She looked just about as scared as I felt.

Wait… did she know what was going to happen and was terrified because she knew she was going to have to tell me, in front of everyone, that she didn't feel the same way? Why the hell did I think that here would be a good place to tell her how I feel about her?

Somehow though, I was still able to smile at her as she came to stand at the front of the line with a beaming Tina and an amused Lars.

She smiled back at me, far more shyly than she had earlier today.

"Here, Mia," I said, trying to keep my voice under control, "sit at this one." The monitor and computer that I, and was the whole reason that Felix was actually siting here with us, had been religiously guarding for the whole time the Winter Carnival had been running.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him give me a thumbs up before he moved away from us, to go and sit with Paul. At least he has the decency to gives us privacy, I thought dully.

I could see Mia eying the computer in confusion, but did as I said and sat down at it. She seemed to be thinking hard about something… how to tell me as gently and as princessly as she can that she doesn't feel the same way, perhaps?

"Wait, what are you doing?" I heard Jude call over in surprise and confusion.

I looked back at her and realised that I was actually blocking Mia from her view and that she thought someone had just randomly come and sat down at the computer that we had spent a great deal of time keep everyone away from.

I smiled back at her in 'god, what am I doing? Why did you make me do this?' sort of way as I said back, "No, it's ok. I have a special one for her."

Judith's tired eyes widen with understanding and she went bright red in embarrassment as she mouth sorry back at me, while Paul and Felix sat laughing their heads off near her.

We both glared them into silence.

I glanced back at Mia, who was somewhat slumped in the chair and looked miles away from where we all currently residing in reality.

For a very brief moment, I actually thought she might get up from the chair and simply leave, but then thank god, the program started and Mia seemed to come back to reality.

Her eyes widen and her mouth went a little slack as she stared at the program that I had created for her. She was even starting to smile again. And I thought, hey, this is actually going pretty well.

But honestly, I really should have known and understood my luck by now, especially my luck when it comes to girls, or rather, especially my luck when it comes to this girl.

She screamed when the message I had created to tell her how I felt about her came across the computer screen, and not in the good way. It wasn't a 'oh my god, I am so happy, I love you too' scream, it was more of a 'this so can't be happening' scream, which had everyone laughing, not, thankfully, because they knew or could see what was on the screen of her monitor, but simply because she had screamed at what they thought everyone else on computers were laughing at.

I moved forward, trying to explain, though what I was actually going to say was beyond me, because my mind was more or less blank of everything, except that I had somehow upset Mia, possible beyond repair and yet I still had to try and fix it.

Only she didn't give me a chance because she shot out of the chair, grabbed the extremely startled and confused Tina by the arm and was proceeding to drag her back through the crowd and away from me.

Lars gave me a 'do something' look before he went after the Mia and Tina. I seemed to find enough of my voice to yelled out Mia's name, except she only kept on going, only to be stopped by Kenny who had finally made an appearance, only he didn't look overly happy and he seemed to be fairly insistent on talking to Mia about something right in front of everyone in the whole freaking hall. He seems to have a talent for this type of thing, but then, not that I can talk, not after this.

It was fairly obvious, even from the distance that the booth was from them, that Kenny was doing the break up speech.

I couldn't tell how Mia was taking it because her back was in our direction, but her shoulders seemed to get lower and lower, as did her head.

This clearly wasn't her day.

As soon as Kenny had finished saying his piece, or rather Tina interrupted him after about five minutes of speaking it before she started dragging Mia out of the hall.

I flopped on to the floor, feeling suddenly drained of all emotions, good (HA!) and bad. Felix came over, doing the nice thing of flicking the monitor off so that no little creep could see my failed program for Mia.

"It's not necessarily a rejection, you know."

"How is her screaming and running away from me, not necessarily a rejection? It has rejection written all over it." I replied glumly, too drained to feel any particular annoyance towards him.

"You should have gone after her?" Felix insisted.

"And said what?" I asked.

"I don't know. That what you wrote was true. You know, she might have thought it was a joke or something." He said shrugging. "You should at least try and talk to her about it."

"Why do you give advice that you yourself never take?" I asked as I got up slowly from the floor.

"Because I'm a moron." Felix replied simply.

"I thought I was the moron here."

"No, you're the special moron. There's a difference."

"Fantastic." I sighed, before looking after where Mia had fled.

"What if…"

"Dude, seriously, I don't think she freak out because she doesn't like you. We all flipping know she likes you, well except for you, of course," I pulled a face at him, "The thing that she's probably freaked out about is that fact that she now knows that you know that she likes you. It's as simple as that. People get funny when they find out that the person they like actually knows that they like them." He said with a shrug.

"Right." I said but I didn't feel reassured at all.

"What was that about?" I heard one of the kids ask Kenny who had, finally, wandered over to our booth.

For some reason, I couldn't look at him. I wasn't sure if it was because I felt ashamed about the hug between Mia and me in the corridor earlier, which he stumble upon and was undoubtedly the reason why he publically dumped Mia or if it was because I want to beat his head in for publically dumping Mia. There was also the shame that I was feeling for what I had done publically to Mia too.

"We broke up." Kenny replied simply as he tried to avoid Judith's death glare for being so flipping late. Oh and maybe for dumping Mia publically too.

"Why?"

"Because I like her more than she likes me," he said hanging his head a little, "and she likes someone else?"

That had me looking his way for a brief moment, before looking away because I was feeling guilty, though maybe a little hopeful too.

"Do you know who?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him nod, though the odd thing was, he wasn't looking accusingly in my direction, but rather out in the crowd. Huh?"

"Who?"

"Boris Pelkowski." As soon as he said the name I was choking with disbelief. Of all the people he thought Mia liked more than him, he thought it was BORIS PELKOWSKI!

Apparently I wasn't the only one who found this more than a little hard to believe.

"Boris?" Paul asked slowly, "the kid who plays the violin? You sure?" Kenny nodded his head vigorously.

"I saw them together and they were acting real close. And he's been leaving her roses in her locker all of this week."

"That's because he was her Secret Snowflake, numbskull." It took me a moment to click that it was me that had said that and that I had said it out loud. I was smacked over the back of the head for that by Paul.

"And she could have just been friendly with him because he is, after all, her best friend's boyfriend." Paul pointed out.

Kenny's eyes grew a little wider and looked a little horrified, but then he just shook his head.

"That might be all so, but she still likes someone else, I know that for sure."

"Oh yeah," Felix said. I could hear the teasing note to his tone and groaned, "How?"

"Well," he went a little red in the face, "she never let me kiss her for one thing." I know I shouldn't but I actually felt something of a strange sense of satisfaction, along with this childish desire to say 'Ha ha' at him when I heard him admit that Mia had rarely let him kiss her. I think, from what I've heard from one of Lil's and Mia's many conversations on the topic of Kenny, that he has managed to kiss her the mouth only once, and that was only because he caught her by surprise and off guard and she hadn't had time to turn her head to avoid him.

"That could be because of a number of reasons other than her cheating on you or cause she likes someone else." Felix said with a snort and I glared at him, even though I had been thinking the exact same thing, as Kenny looked even more distraught.

As much as I haven't been fond of the kid of late, I did feel a little bad for him, just a little. But honestly, I didn't have the strength or the knowledge on how to make him feel better about his situation with Mia. I mean, I didn't even have the strength to even think about my situation with Mia.

"Well, anyway, too late to think about all that now," Felix said airily as he slapped Kenny's back, "you've dumped her now and you can't take back all the things you said about you thinking she's been cheating on you, so cheer up, help out here and move on." Everyone who was listening just looked at him in disbelieve.

"That's a bit harsh." Paul said but Felix simply shrugged.

Judith gave me a sympathetic hug, before she went back to keeping our still very long line organised. I threw myself into working in the booth, letting the younger kids off to go and enjoy the carnival, while I stayed and did more than my fair share of working the booth. But it kept me from thinking and brooding over Mia, it kept me sane. I didn't even want to even contemplate how I was going to survive Winter break or worse when school came back afterwards.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Chapter eleven, so sad. Poor Michael, but it'll be ok, we all know that.  
>Two more chapter til the end of this fic. YAY!<p> 


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** I'm currently at TAFE (College for people in USA) and bored stiff because we don't have anything to do, because we're finished. YAY! And I PASSED! YES!  
>Well, this subject, Networking A. Tomorrow I find out whether or not I've passed Networking B. Finger's crossed.<br>Anyway, Enjoy chapter 12.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

"What _aren't_ you doing?" I heard Lil growl somewhere near to my head. She sounded pretty angry, but what's new about that and I honestly couldn't care less. I pressed my pillow even further against my face.

"I'm serious, Michael, what aren't you doing? I'll tell you what you're _not_ doing and that is calling MIA!"

"I can't Lil. I've upset her enough for one day."

I heard her grumble under her breath.

"Yeah, ok, that might be true, but you have to fix it."

"Oh yeah Lil?" I asked as I lifted my pillow off my face and glared at her, "and how do I do that?"

"Ring her," she exclaimed in frustration, "explain to her that you meant what you wrote, though why you couldn't have just told her out loud is beyond me."

"It won't change anything."

"It will. Tina thinks that Mia thinks that you meant it as a joke."

I scowled at her.

"Tine's thinks?"

"Tina KNOWS!" She shrieked at me, "Mia told her that she thought that it was all just some big joke, that's why she reacted like she did. She thought you were teasing her or something."

"Like I would do something like that?" I snapped, feeling angry now.

"I actually don't blame her for thinking that, actually," Lil replied coolly, "what with all the sexual harassment comments you used to make towards her and you know, there were some moments when you were actually quite mean towards her."

"No more than you." I grumbled but I was coming over all depressed again.

"It's different. I'm her best friend; you're the guy she's like since she was six years old." Lil said with a roll of her eyes.

"Six?" I asked, startled.

I mean, I know she, apparently, according to everyone else, has liked me for a long, long time, but since she was six? Was that even possible?

"Why do you think she has always been so attached to you?" Lil said with a shake of her head as if I was some lost cause, not that I wasn't thinking the exact same thing.

"But still, why would she think I was joking about something like this?" I asked.

Lil shrugged her shoulders but I could see sympathy in her eyes.

"I don't know, it's Mia. You know she over-rationalise everything."

I did know that. Very well, in fact, but I hadn't thought she would need to over-rationalise this, I thought it would all be obvious and that everything would simply work out and we'd be together by now, instead of me having a pity party for myself and Mia, doing whatever she might be doing.

"Just ring her, ok." Lil said and suddenly she was shoving the cordless phone into my face.

"And say what?"

"I don't know, something, ANYTHING!" Lil said sounding impatient.

I stared from her to the phone than back again.

I did try.

Ringing her, I mean.

I rang her number several times but every one of those times, it was either Helen Thermopolis or, even more embarrassingly, Mr. G who picked up the phone.

Though actually the last time I called and Mr. G picked up he actually gave me more than "Mia doesn't want to talk anyone at the moment."

'She's out on the fire escape.' He informed me almost as soon as I said my name.

"WHAT?"

'Calm down,' he actually chuckled even though he's step-daughter was currently refusing to talk to anyone and was sitting out on the fire escape that was right outside her window, on a cold, snowy winter evening. 'She's just sitting out there; apparently we're being a little too overbearing in here at the moment.'

I groaned.

"This is all my fault." That was meant to stay only in my head, except I end up blurting it out to him too.

'You finally told her you like her, didn't you?' he asked, sounding a little too amused for my liking. I smacked my head against my desk.

'I'll take that as a yes,' he replied, 'Listen just let her calm down and think things over and I'm sure everything will work out, ok.' He reassured me.

I just snorted.

'Trust me, you'll see.'

"How do you know?" I asked a little blankly.

'Because it's obvious.' Which left me with more questions than it answered.

We said goodbye after that and I flopped back on to my bed, feeling, if possible, even more depressed.

* * *

><p>"You're not coming to the dance, are you?" Lil asked as she stuck her head around the door of my room.<p>

"Nope."

"I'll give you a call if she comes." I gave her an 'as if' look.

"I'll call you," She said in this no nonsense voice, "and you had better get your stupid arse down there if I do."

"Fine." I said staring once more at the stars that decorated my ceiling.

"I mean it." She warned.

"Lil, if you call, saying that she's there, then I'll come down to the school. But otherwise, I'm staying right here."

"Good." She said nodding and made to close my door, a first.

"Hey Lil." I called before she had finished closing it. Her stuck back around it, looking curious.

"You look really pretty." She actually smiled back at me, looking quite pleased and proud of her appearance.

She closed my door and I was once more left on my own.

Thank god, the parental unit are away at some dinner function tonight or I'd never survive.

I must have fallen asleep because when I woke to find the phone in my hand ringing, it was almost eight.

"Hello?" I said, somewhat groggily, rubbing my eyes of sleep.

"Get-Your-Stupid-Arse-Down-Here-Right-NOW!" Lil shrieked back at me over the phone.

"Huh?" was my intelligent response.

"She here, you dumbass." I sat up a little straighter, my mouth falling open as my mind went blank.

"What?"

"She's here. She got here, like five minutes ago, so get your ass down here and clean up the mess you've made." And then she hung up though not before I swore I heard Mia's voice in the background, asking "Where's your brother?"

And it was that, more than anything else that my sister had said, that had me tumbling off my bed, scary the life out of Pavlov, who let out this pathetic little bark before going under my bed to hide from my frantic feet.

A part of me just wanted to go as I was, just in my jeans and shirt but thankfully my brains started functioning and found my only worn twice suit at the very back of my closet.

Then I was running.

Hey, I may not like Gym at school or organised sports but that doesn't mean I'm not fit and when I want to be, I am quite fast and I was at AEHS within ten minutes.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Yeah, yeah, I know very short chapter and it's finishes right when things are about to get good, I'm sorry, but just think, only one more chapter of this fic to go, YAY! So you all should know what's going to happen in chapter thirteen 'grins widely'.  
>Lilly is such a lovely, considerate little sister, isn't she, lol? But at least she kept her promise to call him when Mia did finally arrive at the dance, for I'm pretty sure when Mia finds Lil hanging up the phone at the dance, that it was Michael that she called. I mean, how else would he have known that Mia had appeared at the dance, right?<p>

Anyway, I'll update with chapter 13 shortly


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** Here it is, Chapter Thirteen, the final chapter of _'CracKing: Third Times the Charm'_.  
>Enjoy! <p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

I got there just when she was about to leave.

I think even if she hadn't had Lars right there by her side when I first saw her as I entered the hall, I would still have been able to pick her out through the sea of people, but then I've always been able to.

And when I saw her, she took my breath away.

Her hair was only slightly curled and I could see even from the distance that I still was from her, that she only wore a little make-up. The dress she wore was one I had never ever seen before; it was unique, just like her.

It was made out this dark green velvet, that instead of swamping her body, it actually showed it off to its full advantage, with the long, tight sleeves and square neckline. It was the best dress I have ever seen, even better than the blue one she wore to the Cultural Diversity dance.

I could hear her telling Lars that she wanted to go, that she had been at the dance long enough and that she wanted to get home, so that she could finish packing. Lars nodded and said ok and moved as if to leave, but then he saw me and the grin that crossed his face that would have been amusing if Mia hadn't looked around to see what he was looking at, at that very moment.

Her eyes sort of widen and she actually looked a little terrified to see me there, which hurt more than I'm going to admit.

"I didn't think you were coming." I said as I took a few more cautious steps towards her. I moved slowly, fearing that if I moved too fast, too suddenly she would bolt again.

Her face went bright red and she gave this tiny little shrug of her shoulders as she mumbled, "I almost didn't."

I felt my heart sink when she continued to refuse to look at me, even though now I was standing right in front of her.

"I called you a bunch of times." I told her lamely, "only you wouldn't come to the phone." Obviously.

"I know." She mumbled to her feet and now I felt even more lame or rather more hurt, though I wasn't sure what hurt me more. The fact that she knew I had been ringing her and still hadn't answered the phone or the fact that I had hurt her so badly that it had made her not want to answer the phone.

"Mia," I was close to begging now, "With that thing today. I didn't mean to make you cry." Honestly, I hadn't. Or to make you run, screaming, from the room.

"It didn't. I mean, it wasn't that. It was something Kenny said."

"Yeah. Well, I heard you two broke up." God, could I be any lamer?

"The thing is," I was rushing now; "I knew it was you. Who was leaving those cards."

Her shoulders gave this tiny tremble as she close to a whispered said, "You did?"

"Of course I did." I was getting impatient now. Not with her, but with myself, for not just getting to the point, for not just spitting this out. "Lilly told me."

And for the first time since I had arrived she actually looked up at my face, her eyes round and startled.

"_Lilly_ told you?" She cried. "How did _she_ know?"

I waved my hand desperately, trying to get the both of us back on track with this very roundabout conversation. Why couldn't we both just say, 'yeah, I like you. You like me too? Great, now that that's sorted, want to get some really bad tasting punch' or something like that?

"I don't know." Though duh, of course, I did, "your friend Tina told her, I guess. But that's not important." I added quickly because I had noticed that Mia was now looking rather murderously across the gym in the direction of Lil and Tina who had been previously watching us very closely, but were now hurriedly talking to their boyfriends.

"I'm going to kill them." And I was pretty sure that if I didn't distract her soon, she would very well fulfil that promise to herself.

To keep her from murdering her two best friends, I grabbed her shoulders, which definitely got her attention back on me.

"Mia," I was getting exasperated now and I gave her shoulders a tiny shake. "It doesn't _matter_." One look in her face told me to her, it did matter, but she could think about killing them after I finally said my piece. Heck, I might even help her kill Lil for all the hinting but not giving any actual facts for all these months! "What matters is that I meant what I wrote. And I thought you did too."

She gave me a weird sort of look before saying, a little tartly, "Of course _I_ meant it."

I shook my head in mild despair.

"Then why did you freak out like that today at the carnival?" I asked and her eyes went wide again and she looked all shy and red in the face as she started to stammer.

"Well, because… because…I thought…" she gave a little sigh, before she finally muttered, "I thought you were making fun of me." She said it to my face with complete sincerity in her beautiful grey eyes.

I felt my lips twitch into a tiny smile as relief just washed over me with her words. So, that was all it was.

"Never." I replied, though I actually couldn't make any promises about never teasing her again, because she really is too much fun to mess with to simply give that up, but I could whole heartedly promise that I would never joke or tease her about anything like this.

And without even actually thinking about what I was doing, I simply leant down, not all that far because she is quite close to my height and kissed her, right on the mouth. And the best thing is, she was awake this time and she would definitely remember it.

And so will I.

Kissing Mia is like nothing I have ever done before. I haven't kiss many girls, but kissing Mia trumps all of them, as I kinda always figured that it would, but now I have proof.

Like with everything else, dancing with her, hugging her, just being with her; kissing her, much to my great delight, also feels like the most natural thing in the world to do.

When we broke apart for air she was grinning as widely and happily as I was which, of course, just made me want to kiss her more, which she was quite happy to reciprocate.

"Oh, God," we both heard a disguised voice near us, which we both ignored, "get a room, would you?"

I admit we didn't spend the whole night making out, though we did spend a huge chuck of it doing just that, you know making up for lost time and so on, but we did dance and kiss and talk and kiss and dance and kiss and talk and so on it went until Lil, who was grinning all smug-like, like this had been all her working, which I guess in her warped little mind she does think that, came up to us, saying, "Come on, you guys! It's snowing really hard! If we don't leave now we'll never get home."

I waved bye to Jude, Paul and Felix (and Felix's date, a girl from Trinity I think), who all (except Felix's date who had as much clue who I was as I did her) waved back, grinning madly.

They had seen, of course, as had all the rest of the school, Mai and me getting together and had been (well Felix and Paul) making loud hooting noise at us all night.

I knew I was going to get teased out of my mind because of this, but that was ok, I had ammunition that I could shoot back at them, or at least, back at Paul and Judith who had spent the whole night dancing together, so they can't talk. Neither can Felix, actually, but I'm not going to get into that one just yet.

Anyway, I felt good for the first time in a really, really long time. I had Mia by my side, her hand in mine.

Yeah, ok she was leaving for Genovia tomorrow, which is going to be a pain, but as I'm going to be in Florida with the grandparents, it wasn't like we were going to see much of each other this break anyway. But I would see her again, of course, once break was over and school had started up again and she would be my girlfriend and I would find away to make up for the lack of not seeing her over this break somehow.

"I'll miss you." I mumbled into her hair as I hugged her goodbye once we had reached her loft. She snuggled in closer to me and mumbled, "me too." Which had me grinning and tilting her head, so that I could kiss her again, though I admit, I did have something of an ulterior motive as well. Just something that I wanted to try before she got whisked away from me for x number of weeks.

I kissed her gently at first, before testing how responsive she was to first having my tongue pressed against her mouth and then, inside of her mouth.

I discovered, quite quickly, that she was very responsive indeed and before long her tongue was having a battle with mine and it didn't feel at all gross.

"Look, I know you two just figured out you both like each other, and we've very happy for you both, but it's bloody cold out here, so could you two please finish up already, so that I can go home?" Lars grumbled at us, his back was to us to give us some privacy.

With a little groan, Mia and I pulled apart. I ran my fingers gently threw her hair.

"It's late and you need to finish packing right?" she looked a little sheepish.

"More like start." She squeaked, but she was grinning widely up at me.

"Then I should probably let you go and start, right?" My arms stayed firmly around her waist. She grinned a little wider.

"Right."

"Because that would be the right thing to do." I said lowering my head to hers.

"Definitely," our lips were just touching when my darling sister started to screamed at us too.

"Just kiss her already! Then get your stupid ass back into this limo! It's freaking freezing out there!" Mia giggled softly, while I groaned.

"Still want to murder her?" I asked.

"Too cold and late now, maybe when I get back." She offered and I grinned as I kissed her mouth again. She was very kissable, I was happy to find, though as Lil and Lars had pointed it was freezing and despite the fact that I held Mia as close to my body as I possibly could, I could still feel her shivering with cold against me.

"Ok," I kissed her mouth again, "get inside," kiss, "finish packing," kiss, "go to bed," kiss, "sleep well," kiss, "have a good trip," kiss, "and don't worry about your speech." Kiss.

"But what if my crown falls off during it? In front of EVERYONE!" She looked quite horrified by the idea that I threw my head back and laughed.

She thumped me lightly in the arm.

"It's not funny!" she grumbled, pouting up at me. To make amends I bent down and kissed her again, but stopped before either Lars or Lil died from exposure.

With a final kiss on her mouth before giving her forehead a fond peck, I let go of her waist so that she could go inside and pack and so I could go home and be deliriously happy for the whole of the break.

"You're not going to stop smiling that goofy smile all break are you?" Lil asked as Lars and I hopped back into the Limo.

I grinned at her.

"Nope."

"See what I'm going to have to put up with all break!" Lilly grumbled at Lars who looked mildly sympathetic.

"I would be more dreading what you'll have to put up with after the winter break, if I were you."

"And you too." Lil replied and they both proceeded to glare at me. I simply cracked my fingers and crossed my arms behind my head.

"Hey, don't go blaming me; it was you two after all who were giving me such a hard time about this."

"We know." They both replied with groans, while I just beamed back at them.

I guess the old saying is right, third time really is the charm.

_fin_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So, _'CracKing: Third Times the Charm'_ is finished... finally! Was so scared that it wouldn't be, but YAY, look it is! I'm so happy and pleased and I admit, I am a little proud of myself. I'm not exactly reknown for finishing fics, especially not three fics, in such a short time, in a row. Hopefully, fingers crossed that I can keep this up for the next three books and possibly the three after that. I am, however, determined to write book ten from Mike's POV, no matter what, but that won't be for a while, obviously.  
>Right, so now on to book 4, <em>'Set Forth LinuxRulz'<em>. I'll post the first chapter soon, either at the end of this week or the beginning of next, simply so that I can get some more chapters written up before I start posting.


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